Combination: Blue
by Soundwave 0107
Summary: In the desert after the battle of the Sun Harvester, Devastator is found by NEST. However, he lives to serve the Primes, and now, he has Optimus Prime as his new Master. Well, Galloway will be surprised at Diego Garcia's newest resident. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Sand is everywhere. It is always everywhere, in this location.

The gritty texture of the substance under him annoys his sensors, adding fuel to the pain that curses him eternally, and it is hard to get a decent footing, his weight too much for the substance, so he must move faster then he would like. The movement and stress hurts him, and the star beats on him, heating his systems to uncomfortable heights, but he knows pain and pain knows him, and so he ignores it. There is nothing to remove by the pain via taking it out with destruction, so he must ignore it.

He moves on.

But where can he move? Devastator does not know. Two Earth weeks ago, His Master, the Fallen, joined the dead, and with the last of the Prime's gone, Devastator has no Master to serve, and so he had fled. All his pain, this pain that stays with him, will be for nothing, and it scares him. With the Fallen's Apprentice gone as well, who can he serve? No-one. He is lost and alone within Egypt, and the pain hurts him so much.

Being without a Master scares him.

But he remembers the order of the Fallen's Apprentice: "_BEGIN OUR ASSAULT!"_

The Fallen wanted this planet to be destroyed. Devastator takes comfort in the memory. He now knows he has a command to obey, and he will carry it out; All beings on this planet, plant and animal and micro-organism, will burn in the fires he shall make. All with be crushed under him. All with be destroyed. He will bring ruin to this planet until every last thing is dead. Only then, will his task be complete, and then, he will have nothing left but the eternal pain, pain, pain.

So, he moves on.

But he is unaware of the brown jet that flies over him. Or rather, he does not notice it until a missile from the vehicle strikes his side.

The pain flares at him, as it always does, and he turns to snarl as the jet shifts into a robotic form, a Blue-eyes, the Apprentice's hated enemy. The jet is clearly taunting him, hovering in the air, before darting off away. Devastator snarls in anger and pursues the prey; The Fallen wanted these ones dead, and he will kill them.

The jet stops every now and then, ensuring the behemoth is still following him, as he flits off to an abandoned town of some sorts. Devastator hates the annoyance. The pain aches, and he must kill this fool to calm his hurt. Devastator notes the prey is slowing down, perhaps low on power, and so, he will destroy it.

The jet lands in a wide street, flanked by houses and starts firing at Devastator with a machine gun. The brute roars in anger and barrels forward, determined to destroy the nuisance as flickers of hurt dart around him. He lurches forward, so close to rip and tear-

A trap. The ground under his right arm, formed by the massive front-loader, gives way under it, and his arm is suddenly lodged in a immensely deep pit. Devastator's body lurches to the ground from the sudden loss of support, ending up on his knees as his head crashed to the floor. The pain flares once more and he roars in agony.

Suddenly, more Blue-eyes and fleshy things appear, using some kind of weird magnetic grapplers, flinging them over his limbs and torso, pinning him against the ground. His arm is trapped and unable to push him up to throw off the restraining ropes, and his other arm and legs become entangled and trapped. Like a pinned animal, Devastator futilely cranes his head forward to snap massive jaws at the jet, but he is out of range and his neck hurts.

And with that, the great Devastator slumps to the floor, defeated, groaning in the endless pain that plagued him from his creation (except when he in his vehicle modes; Then, the pain is gone, but so is his power)

The fleshy things surround him, holding weapons and speaking in their odd flesh language. One soldier pokes his chin, but Devastator ignores it. He wants to kill the jet fool, not a fleshy. The fleshy will die afterwards. The jet speaks to three more fleshies, two male, one pale, one dark and a female who gives out odd readings. Part fleshy, yet part... dare he imagine so, part Prime. Odd.

Realising he cannot reach the jet fool, Devastator takes what he can get and jerks his head round, his jaws opening and heading for the fleshy that poked him, who is too slow to dodge. There is a scream as his jaws close in, hurting his audio sensors, before he crushes the fleshy in his mouth with ease, feeling the oddly soothing squish of fluid on him. The others panic and back away, aiming their weapons at him, before a booming voice demands silence, causing the fleshies to stop moving.

A massive red Blue-eyes, though not as big as the jet fool, heads towards him, flanked by a silver one and a black one with large weapons. Devastator growls threateningly as a bright yellow one also appears, looking shocked at the splotch of red by Devastator's mouth.

Their chatter hurts his sensors, and the combiner snaps his jaws as the yellow one approaches, but he misses, and the yellow one sticks a sharp spike into his lower jaw-structure. The combiner roars in pain, before suddenly going silent as an odd numbness hits his cranial structure. It feels... nice. Though the rest of him hurts, his head feels soft, as if it could defy gravity, and it is nice.

Devastator forgets all the hurt and grumbles softly. He likes the sharp numb yellow Blue-eyes. Perhaps he will numb the rest of him?

The red one approaches now, regarding him intently, before gazing at the splotch of red that was a fleshy once. Strange, how the Blue-eyes like these weak things. Never mind. The red one seems to come to a decision, and speaks in the flesh language, his hand unsheathing a sharp blade. The little female fleshy with the odd Prime reading speaks, echoed by the silver one, but the big red one ignores them, and the black one looks eager.

They are going to kill him, but the combiner is numb and feels like his head can float and he does care. Even the Fallen cannot stir him now. But then, he detects something. He detects a signature he knows well and truly; The signature he was born to obey-

It is the spark of a Prime! The red Blue-eye is a Prime!

At last, a Prime has come to give him a purpose, and Devastator forces his body to contact the Prime energy. He will obey the Primes. That is his purpose.

_Master, I serve you._

The red Prime freezes as Devastator sends the message through the unique bond the combiner has with each and every Prime that has ever existed, from father to son. He will serve the Primes; That is his purpose. But this Prime seems confused, shocked. How odd; Surely the Prime must know that he lives to serve him? Devastator obeys the Primes.

_You are Prime. I serve Prime._

Perhaps that will help him, the combiner muses. Perhaps he has a memory glitch regarding him, and so he will help the lost Prime remember. The red Prime is still, and the other beings ask him questions in the fleshy language, the little femme with the odd reading most especially. But his new Master ignores them, sheathing his blade, before stepping over to Devastator, whom is hopeful that his message has worked. The Prime speaks to him, and Devastator feels the thrill of having a purpose once more.

"_You are a Decepticon. You served the Fallen."_

Devastator is confused as his Master speaks to him negatively, as though not believing him, his numb head contrasting with the endless agony of his body. Decepticon was the term the Fallen's Apprentice generally used. But Devastator served the Primes and only them, not whatever faction they happened to be in.

_You are a Prime. I serve Primes. Fallen is dead. You are alive. I serve Primes. You are a Prime. I serve you._

The Blue-eyes seems to at last understand, optics widening in surprise, before nodding: _"Do you wish to leave the Decepticons and join us?"_

_I serve Prime._

At last, the Prime seems satisfied, and nods in acceptance. Devastator is please, and he once again links to him, wanting to learn about his new Master and his new life. This Master is part of the Autobots, their leader, hated by the Fallen's Apprentice, and allies with the fleshy ones. His name is Optimus Prime, and his vehicle form is a large transport that the fleshies referred to as a truck. He is brave and compassionate and loyal, and is close to the femme, whom is apparently his daughter. Devastator finds that hard to believe, but he accepts it.

The Prime decides everything.

Most importantly, Devastator provides his new Master with a mental link, that only he and the Prime can share. This will allow the Prime to command him at any time, at any place, with complete ease. They are linked, and Devastator will serve properly again.

With that, his new Master speaks to the rest in the fleshy language. They seem surprised, and the black Blue-eyes and the pale male argue. How dare they disobey the words of the Prime. Devastator wants to punish them, but he feels the first words of his new mental link:

_NO. They are allies, now. I will handle them. Their will is their own. Destruction and hurting are not the answer._

Devastator promptly retracts any thoughts of punishment. The Prime's word is law. Even if that law is against the deceased Fallen's, Devastator serves the living Prime.

Soon, soon, they all agree to what the red Autobot commands. With that, the ropes are taken off him, and he can move freely again. With the help of the jet, Devastator lifts his trapped arm from the pit and stands proud and tall, shaking the sand off him, flinching in pain as he does. The pain of a botched fusion always hurts him.

However, his new Master notices this, and orders: _Devastator; Transform and follow Ratchet. He will take you to our base in Diego Garcia. If he wishes to interact with your mechanics, let him. He will not harm you. I will see you at Diego Garcia._

Ratchet is the yellow one who delivered the sharp numbness. Devastator likes him; He is a good servant of the Prime, compassionate and medical. Devastator obeys the Prime, and forces his body apart. His torso detaches from the waist, his left hand ejecting off and transforming into a small bulldozer while his arms go into a high-truss crane and front loader, the torso into a massive Terex Excavator. His waist becomes a flatbed truck, his right leg a green dump truck, and his right leg splits into a smaller dump truck and a second bulldozer. His head becomes a cement mixer, and he feels the pain of fusion disappear. It is nice. The Prime leads the other Autobots and the fleshies away, the little femme jumping into the hands of the silver one. Odd, the trust he can feel.

_You will meet them later, _the Prime assures him. He is kind, and Devastator likes him already.

The yellow one, Ratchet, drives off, expecting him to follow, and he does, sending his components after the Autobot, the torso Excavator last in the line. Devastator wishes the Prime would come, but he must command the Autobots and the fleshies. The Prime's word is law.

And now, the Prime's word is his new life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: This Fanfic project is being done with themes of Tatyana Witwicky's fic's, as she has kindly agreed to help me out with some bits here and there. Just to enlighten all of you :)**

Diego Garcia was an island flooded with strong sunlight, surrounded by crystal-blue sea, except in the rare case of a tropical storm (Though they were never really powerful enough to damage) and dotted with military structures. Hangars bordered the massive runway, hiding main communication buildings and working structures from view. Some hangars stored jets. The largest one was used by the Autobots. And now, an equally large one, near the end of the line-up, held nine vehicles.

The largest of these was a crimson Terex Excavator, a titanic piece of working machinery with a thick mechanical arm, the body bulky and clearly armoured, with the cockpit on the left side, a bright white to contrast with the red. In front of this was a black cement truck, the body shades of metallic grey and the mixer drum having a large purple insignia along the grey cylindrical length. To the right of the excavator was a large yellow front-loader, around a third of the size of the Terex, and the left side held a yellow truss crane, the arm of it stretched to the roof of the hangar, and in front of the crane was a small and rather golden-brown coloured bulldozer with a black scoop. Behind the excavator was a bright red flatbed truck, the longest of the vehicles in the room, flanked by a massive dark-green dump truck, the second largest vehicle of the lot, and a yellow, smaller dump truck next to an equally sized orange bulldozer.

To most, having nine construction vehicles aligned in such a pattern, within a military hangar on an active military base as well, was very odd. To some people, however, it was normal. That was because these vehicles were the transport forms of a titanic being named Devastator. They could combine into the massive ex-Decepticon, a monstrous beast of enormous size and power and sheer terror in those who knew his name.

But now, the beast was silent, slumbering softly. The only sign of living he gave was when the small bulldozer in front of the crane suddenly heaved exhaust from its pipes, and the engine grinded into life. The small construction vehicle idled for a moment, before the treads go moving and the vehicle moved off, leaving the other eight behind.

However, the bulldozer's sensors were on a high alert, detecting and analysing every sound it heard, every sight it picked up, every odour in the air, how the ground felt under the treads. The vehicle was scouting for the rest of the body, investigating the new home the Prime had brought him to. Indeed, the bulldozer was tracing his unique signal right now, located in the largest hangar nearby. Several wandering fleshies pointed at him and started muttering to each other, but he ignored them and drove on.

He eventually reached the entrance of this hangar, and saw the massive form of his new Master, standing before a scaffold like structure laden with computers so that the fleshies- No, the Prime called them _humans- _could speak with their larger allies easily. Soldier humans pointed him out as he stopped before the Prime, whom turned to face him, surprised he was out and about (Well, the hand component anyway) and rumbled:

_"Welcome, Devastator. Are you operable?"_

_I am fine, Master. Status; Acceptable. What may I do to serve? _

The Prime was to answer, but a human behind him snapped something in his flesh language, clearly annoyed and perhaps fearful. Devastator noted the dislike emanating from his Prime, and the Autobots, and even the other humans seemed frustrated with this one. The combiner did not like that this human annoyed his master, and thus asked via their link:

_The fool human annoys you, Master; Shall I terminate?_

_"It would be nice." _His Prime mental sighed, physically replying in the flesh language to the human. _"He does not understand your view on the Autobots now."_

_I serve the Primes. This fool must be punished for disobeying you, _the combiner insisted. Anyone that disobeyed the law of the Prime's word must suffer. His link extended, and his other components activated, ready to join him and form his robot mode.

_"NO." _His new Master harshly reprimanded, and Devastator promptly froze. _"We do not punish others for having their different views, Devastator. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and will is part of that sentiment. Please understand it. And connect to the wireless network known as the Internet and learn the human language known as English."_

_I obey._

Retracting all thoughts of punishment, Devastator promptly reversed out of the hangar, and felt around with his connectors. He found a wireless signal broadcasted from a land-based satellite on the island, and tapped into it, accessing the Internet. It was a literal _maelstrom _of information, from human news to games to sexual reproductive sites to messaging services to advertisements. So much information; Devastator had no problem tapping in and downloading the English language to him. His systems understood it with ease and he uploaded it to his audio sensors.

At last! He could understand what the fleshies were saying: Two soldiers near the entrance were murmuring on how "Galloway" was a "jerk" Jerk was a negative reference to an irritating person, who this "Galloway" was not liked. One male by a computer was murmuring: "Dumb computer; Why are you always so slow?" evidently irritated by a lack of performance speed from the machine.

But what struck Devastator most was what the annoyance human was saying: "-You, Mister Prime, shouldn't have even THOUGHT of bring a Decepticon here, let alone nine pieces of a damned Megazord! Need I remind you that he RUINED the Great Pyramids, and caused mass destruction?"

"He is different from other Transformers." Optimus replied, patient but frustrated. "He has existed since the birth of our kind, and his existence is symbiotic with the Primes, the original rulers of our race. He depends on their leadership to function. Without them, he cannot fathom independence. The Fallen used him for destruction, but with him destroyed, Devastator has linked himself to me. He considers myself as his new Master, and we-"

"What if that was a trap of his creation?" Galloway snapped. "Trying to trick you? Lure Decepticons here and hit us when we least expect it? He's going to bring ruin to us, mark my words."

"That's what you said about Barricade, and he's perfectly fine." A feminine voice snapped, and the combiner, enthralled with the talking, noted the odd signature of that femme with the half-Prime signal standing near the annoyance human, her arms folded, a mix of casual and distaste of the other fleshy.

Devastator is curious about that female. How is it that a human, a mere fleshy, can have the signature of a Prime? His Master stated that she is his daughter, a human reference for female offspring, but Cybertronians cannot impregnate humans. Perhaps she was birthed as pure Cybertronian, but altered herself to have a human mode? That seemed logical. Regardless, Devastator is curious, and probes the red Autobot standing regally for answers:

_"You will meet her later." _Optimus assures him, and Devastator relaxes. The Prime decides everything.

"Listen, young lady." Galloway snapped. "Your little Decepticon friend may be all good now, but rest assured, when the time comes, he'll crawl right back to NBE-1 and leave you in the dust." The human folded his arms smugly; The words of the superior against their defiant inferior. Though the latter may have stronger support and words, the former has the power and they know it.

A black vehicle, designated as a Shelby GT 500, evidently the one named Barricade, snarls in anger, vehicle mode lurching in rage, but makes no further protest as a sharp look from the Prime silences him. Now, the combiner is curious; Barricade was a servant of Megatron, the Fallen's Apprentice. Why is he here among the Autobots, when he was Decepticon? What convinced him, using a human phrase (A flash of pride from his Master in growing so used to the humans so quickly makes devastator feel proud) to jump ship? Bribery? Anger with Megatron? He doesn't know.

_"Ask my daughter when you meet her." _The Prime tells him, and Devastator relaxes. The Prime decides everything.

Now, the Prime speaks: "Barricade has proven himself when he saved Tatyana's life. We have been cooperating with him for a long time, and he has proven himself to us. His fate is to us, not you, Mister Galloway."

Galloway fishes out whatever pathetic retort he has, but Devastator has heard enough and summons the rest of his body. As his other components spring to life and prepare to make their way to this location, the little bulldozer reverses out of the hangar, musing: So, the hybrid has a name; Tatyana. Interesting. Apparently the daughter of the Prime, in his Master's terms. The combiner is curious on how that works, but for now, he wants to help reinforce his Master against the annoyance, revealed as the 'jerk' Galloway.

The rumble of the other eight vehicles attracts attention, and a soldier calls out: "Optimus! The rest of the Big Guy is en-route!"

"Really?" Optimus asks, walking away from the scaffold, the humans on said structure promptly making their way off it to follow them, as the other Autobots drive out to see what will happen.

_"What have you in mind, Devastator?" _

_I cannot punish 'jerk' Galloway, as you command, but may I humiliate?_

His Master thinks, smiling at the jerk part, and replies: _"Very well. But nothing serious."_

_As you command._

Optimus does not appear to like having such control over the obedient Devastator, but the combiner hopes he will come round to it. Regardless, the time is nigh;

The rest of him has arrived, and now, he transforms; Metal shrieks and twists as his vehicles transforms, the thick arm of the excavator splitting in two and seizing the shifting front-loader and truss-crane, a massive grinder erupting from the torso as side plates fold onto his back, tentacles springing out and grabbing the cement truck, which has folded down its back and splits open the drum, before dragging it and the other two vehicles onto the body, locking them together with sharp metallic squeals. Devastator flinches as the familiar pain erupts, but he will endure. Besides, the tinkering that the yellow sharp numb Autobot, Ratchet, has done has lessened it somewhat. Perhaps he will fix him one day. Devastator hopes so.

The massive dump trucks unfolds itself as the back wheels lock into the dumper back, like a foot, the green machine stretching out to lock onto the flatbed truck, which has split the front of it like thighs, locking onto the dump truck with a flash of sparks and more pain. The yellow dump truck and the orange bulldozer lock together and join onto the flatbed truck as well, the bulldozer putting the scoop behind the knee as the treads form the foot, and the little yellow bulldozer locks onto the truss-crane, scoop unfolding into fingers for the hand.

As pain tears through his completed form, the cab of the cement truck splits into his face, and with a roar of completion, Devastator seizes the ground, which cracks under his weight, and lifts himself to his feet, with another roar splitting the air as the pain hisses at him, before he forces it down and stands before the crowd gathered in front of him, most in awe, some in fear, some impressed, like the black one with the cannons and the silver one who likes the Tatyana hybrid.

The combiner growls softly, before lowering himself placidly. He wants to wait and lure the annoyance jerk Galloway into giving him the perfect opportunity to strike, and thankfully, the foolish human spouts out worthless rubbish:

"And you think of letting this thing stay here? He's a Decepticon! He'll sooner trash the whole place then do anything you say! We can't get the rail-gun to fire here! He's got too much opportunity!"

"He is our ally now and should be respect as such." Optimus replies, though his link states:

_"Now, Devastator?"_

_Now._

Galloway waffles on, the Tatyana flipping a kind of hand signal behind his back, earning a snigger from the black one named Barricade. But Devastator builds himself, his neck grinders spinning and reversing, his Vortex recalibrating, and with a whoosh of air, blows a high-velocity wind at the annoyance jerk Galloway. The wind does it's job; The human screams in horror as everyone gets out of the way of the wind, and with sharp tears, the wind easily tears off the soft clothing he wears; Hardly military standard. The poor fleshy is spun in the winds as his clothes are forcibly blown off, and even the top part of his hair is blown away, revealing it to be something the Internet refers as a toupee. Eventually, Devastator stops, and when he does, the poor fool is only in the clothing designated as pants and socks, his glasses flimsy against his face.

There is silence, especially when the flying toupee whacks Barricade in the face, but then everyone bursts into massive laughter as the annoyance jerk screams in embarrassment and horror, his arms flinging round to cover himself as he promptly and swiftly flees, not before grabbing the toupee a laughing Barricade chucked at him and screaming rude human words and curses as everyone roars with laughter. Even the Prime is chuckling heartily, Tatyana rolling on the floor laughing, the two humans Devastator saw before, one pale and one dark, clutching each other as they laugh, the black cannon one pounding the floor in hilarity as Ratchet whacks him with a wrench and the silver one chortles.

Devastator feels the humour of the Prime through his constant pain, and the combiner feels elated despite aforementioned pain. He has made the Prime and the others happy, and the Prime is pleased. That is all that matters.

The Prime is everything.

And Devastator cannot wait for the annoyance jerk Galloway to visit again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: An anonymous viewer gave me a good question; Does Optimus feel the pain of fusion via Devastator's link to him?**

**The answer? No, he doesn't. Though Devastator is constantly in pain from his fusion, both physically and emotionally, he is good at forcing it down. Not only that, his link to Prime is a separate function, not linked to the combining process like the rest of him, and it does not transmit the pain. However, Optimus is aware of it, and Ratchet and Jolt have been working to sort out the imperfections of Devastator's combination process that cause him the pain in the first place.**

**And another viewer, Phantom 1s, questioned me; Why does Devastator suffer the constant pain in his combined mode?**

**The answer is that the Decepticons made alterations to him during his time with them, to make him stronger and better. It worked, but the fusion process got messed up by all that messing around with his systems, and combining became extremely agonising to Devastator, perhaps even a fail-safe by the Decepticons to ensure his loyalty through suffering. As said. Ratchet and Jolt are working to fix these imperfections to free him from the pain.**

**Now, this fic is pretty much done with cooperation from Tatyana Witwicky, so if you know her fic's and stuff, hurrah! If not, check her stuff out; It is really good :) And next chapter will see how Devastator gets on in his new social life.**

**Never mind; Time for the fic to go on! :D**

Devastator idly lies in the soft sand upon the lush beaches of Diego Garcia, green eyes dimmed in rest, head resting on his right arm, folded on his left arm, his legs raised up contentedly, similar to a frog. The soft wind and the soft sand and the quiet trill of avian's above him dim the feeling of his pain somewhat, and he feels nice.

It is fairly amusing how content he feels under the leadership of the last Prime. He has learned that this Prime is not one of the Original Masters, but a descendant. Not that it matters. Devastator served the Prime. That is his purpose and will always be his purpose.

The humans like him. They seem to appreciate the humiliation the combiner wrought upon the annoyance jerk Galloway, and thus they thank him, especially those two, one pale, one dark, who are the leaders of the human group of the organisation called NEST. The pale one calls himself Lennox, and the dark one is Epps. Devastator likes them. They are brave and strong, even for mere fleshies, and he would not mind entertaining them again. Some, however, don't like him. Apparently, the stone wall around the Sun Harvester was very important to the fleshies, and his destruction of it lead to much trouble. Never mind.

His Master has told him about all the other Autobots; There is Ratchet, the yellow one who is making him feel better from the constant pain, and his blue apprentice, a young one named Jolt, skilled in utilising electronic weaponry. Devastator cannot really imagine life without the pain, but he knows he will enjoy it at least. There is Ironhide, the black cannon, whom is powerful and strong and proud and loyal. Devastator likes his loyalty to the Prime. There is Sideswipe, the silver blade, who is like Ironhide; He enjoys fighting and killing his foes, but has honour and kindness. There is Arcee and her fellow units, Chromia and Flareup. They are kind and gentle and nice, and Devastator enjoys their presence, especially when they speak soothingly to him as they use soapy fluids and rags to 'wash' him, like a mother to her young. He knows they will make good Sparklings for whomever they chose for a mate.

There is Mudflap and Skids, two twins. They are annoying and stupid and foolish, but they are loyal and strong. No matter what, they will not let a friend down. Devastator is neutral towards them. There is Breakaway, whom can fly. He is amusing and cool and relaxed, and Devastator likes him. There is Bumblebee, a young yellow one whose compassion knows no limits, and he is loyal and kind, though prefers to stay with a human youngling. There is Barricade, whom is often cold and stoic, but passionate and strong. Devastator knows him and likes him, but he is wary; Betrayal from the car will lead to trouble for the Master, and Devastator will kill Barricade if he betrays the Prime, would hunt him down to the ends of the Universe until vengeance was his. And then there is Jazz, whom, as the humans say, is hip-hop, funky and cool. Old words, but they suit him. He is nice, and he is the Prime's second-in-command.

Devastator likes Jazz. If the Prime trusts him enough to have him as his Apprentice, then Devastator will serve Jazz as well. Anyone worthy of the Prime is worthy of Devastator. However, the Prime will always comes first, and Devastator hopes Jazz will understand his priority. Thankfully, he does, and Devastator has linked to him as well; An honour that only the Prime and his trusted Apprentice may have.

Jazz has a spark mate; It is Tatyana, the Prime-human hybrid. Devastator likes her. She is small and fun and feisty, like Arcee and her sisters, and does not let size foil her. She is loyal, but slightly unstable with a phenomenon known as 'acting Randomly' Devastator knows things, and he deduces that the hybrid's use of fun and 'Random' is to hide a hurt past behind a cheerful present and an optimistic future. But what about servitude? She is the daughter of the Prime, but she is human, and Devastator will not serve a human, unless the Prime commands him. He feels torn, somewhat; Obedience for the Prime half and distaste of the human half. He decides to ignore it; If the Prime wishes him to follow the girl, then he will, and if the Prime were gone, then she would inherit Devastator's service.

Until then, there is only the Prime, and Devastator relaxes in the sand. He enjoys this.

However, his quiet time is interrupted by the roar of two engines, wheels churning up sand, and the combiner turns his head at the noise, his neck aching in protest, to observe two cars, one black, one silver, gleaming in the bright sun. Scanners revealed the former as Barricade, and the latter is Jazz, whom is transporting the hybrid, Tatyana. Devastator wonders what it would feel like to have a fleshy in one of his seats, and decides against it. His body would not appreciate such things in his vehicles, pushing buttons and pulling levers. It would only annoy him.

The two Cybertronians and the half-human passenger stop nearby, at a respectful distance, and his green optics locked onto them, curiosity in his expression. The combiner contemplates why they are here, when he feels Jazz speak in his mind through their new link:

_"Hey, big guy. Just wanted to say hi and all; Lil' Tai-dye was dying to meet ya', and Barricade wanted to see ya' too." _ The Pontiac, as the vehicle is designated, states respectfully. Jazz is more relaxed then the Prime, yet more cautious of him. Distrust is evident in face of the ex-Decepticon. Not that the combiner cared for faction. Devastator is not Autobot, nor Decepticon. He serves the Prime, and that is that.

_I obey. Speak at leisure, _Devastator replied, sinking back into his relaxed position, ignoring the flares of pain as usual, as Jazz opens his door to release the hybrid, whom leaps out cheerfully and he and Barricade transform. There is slight tension from the latter duo, but the femme seems very cheerful, and bounces over to the combiner, before speaking:

"I've just got to say...' Tai said as she grinned at the huge combiner. "That was most excellent with Galloway. I believe most of us have been wanting to humiliate him horribly since he got here. And just so you know, I knew that was a toupee...and it was even better when it hit him in the face!" She pointed to Barricade to emphasize whom she was referring to, who rolled his optics.

"Of course you thought that..." He grumbled, his arms crossed, mock-glaring at Tai. "Anything that causes me suffering makes you laugh..."

"Hey, hey, hey! You laugh when I hurt myself, so shut up!" Tai laughed, flipping him off affectionately.

Devastator glanced at Jazz in confusion. What odd things, to laugh about pain. If they had but a fraction of the pain Devastator suffers constantly, they would NOT find it amusing in the least. They would be twisting in agony and screaming for it to end.

_"They've got quite a funny relationship." _Jazz enlightened the curious combiner, smirking slightly. _ "They care for each other, but show it via rather... uncouth gestures. It's all cool." _The Pontiac then chuckled as the other two continued arguing in that friendly fashion, while Devastator turned his attention to them. How odd, their relationship. Devastator is nine scanners in one massive body, and he can all but taste the easy-going trust and kindness between femme and mech, whose normally stoic nature seemed breached by her sense of fun.

Devastator does not understand how this girl earned such trust from Barricade. He knew the car; A stoic and reserved mech who hardly trusted anybody, due to a betrayal millennia ago, during the peak of the war, by Starscream. But now, he had a bond with the hybrid, a strong bond at that. Not that it matched the bond that she shared with Jazz. That is an almost burning love that screams loyalty, and it hisses at his scanners like the ever-burning pain.

Devastator likes it, this bond between Apprentice and Prime daughter. The Prime will be pleased by his Apprentice's success.

Jazz feels Devastator's musings and asks: _"Want me to tell you who Barricade came to join us?"_

Now, this really hits Devastator. His superior, the Apprentice of the Prime, is asking him a question, as though they were equal, and he was not a servant? How odd. Devastator is unsure of how to reply to such an offer, but he manages it:

_Please, Master. I would like to know._

_"Hmm...let me think. How did this happen..." _Jazz mused, thinking back to when Tai has first arrived._ "A while back, 'Cade was after her for the Decepticons... And get this, she managed to bring him down, on her own. Using a motorcycle that someone left behind, she smashed it into his ankle. Ironhide, the big black guy, was about to finish him off but Tai stopped him...She said that everyone deserves a chance..." _

He stopped then, not knowing if he should bring up... Blurr, or not. He was still a sore subject...

Devastator sensed his second Master's hesitation and promptly made haste to ask:

_Master. What troubles you? _ Something clearly hurts at the Apprentice, something that happened long ago, with the hybrid, and Devastator wonders what it was. However, he also wonders if he stepped out of line in asking the Apprentice a question about said subject. Had he offended the Apprentice? May the spirits of the Primes have mercy if he did offend the Pontiac. Offend an Apprentice, and you offend the Master...

But at least he knows now; Tatyana had apparently overpowered Barricade in a battle with use of wits, and had had him spared from Ironhide, stating that chances were deserved. Odd, but not inefficient. The gesture had worked, and that bond of trust was made. So, that was how Barricade had come to the Autobots; He wanted to repay Tatyana for sparing his life. A typical concept of saving one's life.

Jazz heaved a sigh, as Tai and Barricade turned to look at him, before replying: _"Devastator, I think it would be better for Tai and 'Cade to tell you the story, alright?"_

Devastator is confused; The second Master allows his subjects authority? It is unheard of for the combiner. But it is the Master's decision, not his, and he accepts that.  
_  
As you wish, Apprentice._

Jazz turns to speaks softly to Tai and Barricade, and Devastator waits, wondering on what he will find out about the offspring of the Prime...

"Oh man... I knew this was gonna come up sometime. This really sucks.." Tai's voice was somewhat shaky by this point, having apparently talked it through with the Apprentice, before building up her inner self and speaking to the combiner. "Well, Devastator... I had another Guardian before Barricade..."

Said Guardian looked a little remorseful. Being the gruff mech that he was, he still didn't like seeing his charge upset in anyway. It was unnerving and almost painful.

"His name was Blurr... I knew him my whole life..." She took a deep breath, tears starting to brim slightly in both of her eyes. "He was my human Dad's Guardian, then he was mine...but..."

She closed her eye and her optic, tears falling down her cheeks and landing on the concrete, as memory strikes at her, cold and distant and painful...

Part of Devastator finds it alarming that the female is leaking. Were her optics damaged somehow? However, scanners revealed the opposite, and a search of the Internet confirms it; They are merely tears, a physical sign of sadness that takes the shape of fluid. She is sad. Devastator grumbles softly as the girl slumps in this sadness she feels, the other two bowing their heads in past mourning. The rest of him, however, feels her sadness, grinding into his core like the pain that always exists.

Poor little Prime offspring. It is clear; The one named Blurr, a close being to this Tatyana and an apparent Guardian, died. Devastator remembers it; The Decepticon designated Soundwave spoke of having killed the Autobot. And she is sad because of it.

Devastator does not mourn for the loss of life; Only the Prime matters. But this is the Prime's daughter, and she deserves the expression of sympathy. It is his duty to serve and protect the Primes. Even if she is half-human.

The titanic mech leans his head forward, body aching in protest, and he huffs softly. Her hair, a bright shade of the compound colour pink, blowing in the small gust of air from said huff. She is too small to physically comfort, but through his link to both the Prime and the Apprentice, Devastator taps into her spark, and he see's, under all the pain, a spark of hope and kindness. And with that, Devastator uploads all his old memory files, all of his joy that comes when the Prime is happy. He wants her to feel happy, happy in that the Prime Dynasty is hers, and she gasps in surprise, her spark pulsing with the contact from the combiner, as she see's the massive Cybertronians memories of a greater time, so long ago, when the Primes were alive and peaceful, and they smiled at him, proud of him and his service, telling him he had done well.

They are happy. They are the Primes. And he was happy. He is happy. There is Optimus Prime, the last Prime. And Tatyana is the next of the Primes. And she must be happy.

And it works; Tai felt better after a couple of minutes of this intimate process. And she even saw a moment with both her mother and her father, looking joyful and very much in love, as it should be.

"Thanks, big dude..." She grinned softly, her optic twinkling slightly as she rubbed her eyes of the remainder of tears, feeling better then, well, ever, and then she did something that took even Devastator by surprise. She reached over and hugged the side of his titanic face, her small hands petting him slightly as she hugged him.

"This I thought I'd never see.." Barricade muttered, looking surprised that the girl so much as touched the monstrous titan, let alone hug him. But he too smiled nonetheless at her improved mood.

Jazz stands still, awestruck. He felt it too, through his own bond with Tatyana; The content happiness, despite all of the pain, that Devastator felt when he had done well for the Primes. The huge being has lived so long, seen so much, and yet all he cares for is the Prime. The titan is loyal and happy when his Master is happy. It's astonishing, witnessing the mind of the combiner, and what he feels...

Finally, Devastator withdraws from the girl, whom steps back from him, his message sent, and he is satisfied that she is no longer sad. Jazz, as aforementioned, seems awestruck too, with Barricade watching on, and Devastator is proud to know that. The Apprentice is the Prime's loyal second, and his worth is great.

With that, now understanding Barricade and his mind in joining the Autobots, and understanding more about the hybrid, Devastator relaxes back into the sand, ignoring the constant pain as the girl murmurs something to herself, astounded by Devastator's insight of the Primes. They are good rulers, and they decided everything.

No more words are needed, and his lesson is taught; Happiness for others, not for yourself. So long as the Prime is pleased, Devastator and all others should be pleased. And he is pleased. To the combiner, the Prime is everything.

_"I am glad to know you are happy, Devastator. Happiness is for everyone who wants it. And freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Your will is your own, no matter how you serve me. Remember that."_

The Prime is proud of the combiner, whom has taught a good lesson, as the huge mech sinks into recharge, the other three moving to leave, discussing the combiner with reverence and compliant awe in their tones. There is understanding. And Devastator is proud as well.

_By your word, Master._

One component after the other, the pain fading into the black nothing, Devastator shuts down, his green optics dying into black, his body slumping into the sand as his head rests on his arms, and he sleeps.


	4. Chapter 4

The thing with being a combiner was that, when detached, Devastator could literally be everywhere at once. Nine vehicles meant nine sets of scanners and wheels and weapons, and bring them all together into a single being of immense being.

Devastator was most often seen separated, his vehicles scattered across Diego Garcia. Not only was this helpful in maintaining his new position as the Guardian of the Island itself, scouting every inch of the island with ease, it also allowed multiple interactions with the Autobots, whom Devastator was eager to find out about. The Prime had requested he learn about his new allies, and Devastator would always obey.

Time to learn a thing or two about the Autobots of Earth.

**Bumblebee/ Sam/ Mikeala/ Leo**

Occasionally, despite the immense pain that comes with it, Devastator would be found in his robot mode. He generally has two activities; One is patrolling the island of Diego Garcia, keeping watch for any threats, both inside and outside. All new visitors are closely watched and suspected of. Nothing gets past his glare and scanners. The other is relaxing on the island, basking in the sun, enjoying the smooth sounds and feel of his new home.

Now, on one occasion, patrolling the island as per usualhe encounters a bright yellow vehicle, designated by the internet as a variant of the Camaro line of cars. The vehicle is decorated by twin black stripes along its length and gleams brightly. Devastator is rather stunned by such bright colours, offset by the black stripes, but what gets him is the three humans by it. They are not military soldiers of NEST; Their clothing is too flimsy and 'casual' and they are clearly not military standard.

Devastator does not understand why these are here on an island closed off to the world and the setting of the base of NEST. This base is a guarded secret from the 'public' and thus, Devastator decides that these three little fleshies are only one thing;

Spies, impostors sent by probing 'media' to try and find out the secrets of NEST! Well, they would NOT survive to report back. The Prime will be pleased when he removes this threat. Though he has commanded that no humans be harmed, Devastator also knows that Prime does NOT want any bad humans here, and thus, Devastator will remove them with the pain of destruction. They are not ally; Thus, they are enemy.

With an angered snarl that attracts everyone's attention (Everyone being the three spies and the surrounding soldiers, one of which being Epps), Devastator reared onto his hind legs, pain burning him as always, and roared at the three fleshies, before slamming back down under his weight and charging, his hands tearing up concrete as he moves in for the kill. The two males scream in utter terror and flee, though the female withdraws to the Camaro, fearful, but determined. She will die first-

The Camaro unleashes a sharp growl of engine, before transforming into robot mode, revealing it as the Autobot designated Bumblebee, whom lowers his battle mask and unleashes a sharp static shriek of electronic vocals that hurts Devastator's audio receptors.

Devastator immediately stops his charge, the soldiers fleeing, perhaps to garner reinforcements against his apparent rage, and snarls angrily at the Autobot. The Prime commands this one, yet he disobeys the Prime by allowing 'media' spies onto Diego Garcia! Blasphemy! Devastator will punish him for such treachery, once he has destroyed the three fleshies.

Angered, Devastator slams a fist into the ground, leaving an ample crater, and roars at the Camaro. It's a clear message for the Autobot to step aside, lest he meet the same fate. But Bumblebee stands his ground bravely, the female clutching his leg in nervous apprehension, and shrilly hisses at the combiner.

How dare he betray the Primes! Devastator changes his mind and decides to punish the traitor first before he hunts down the fool fleshies, and he lunges. Bumblebee raises his arms and lunges as well, but Devastator's jaws lock around the yellow arms, earning a squeak of pain and knocking the yellow onto the ground, the titan leaning over him, and the combiner is ready to _crush-_

**_"DEVASTATOR! STOP RIGHT NOW!"_**

The voice of his Master bellows in his mind, and Devastator releases the Autobot quickly, as though physically struck. Shaking his head of the sudden shout, the pain ripping at him as it always does, Devastator see's the Prime storming towards him, backed up by soldiers and those two 'media' fleshies, the males that cowardly fled from him. But Devastator cannot think of them now:

Never, ever before has he seen the Prime lose his temper, and certainly not towards him. But the Prime is_ mad, _blistering with rage, and Devastator cowers in fear, backing away as the Prime stomps towards him, anger radiating off him. He has angered the Master. That is NOT good. He should NEVER anger the Master.

The Prime stops, between Devastator and the others, and yells at the combiner, whom cowers meekly and submissively under the Prime's wrath, Optimus both shouting out loud and through their mental link: **_"Devastator, how DARE you attack a fellow Autobot and threaten his life and the lives of the humans as well! I thought you knew better then that! I specifically told you that no humans are to be harmed, and you have NO right to attack another Autobot!"_**

_Master, please, _Devastator whimpered fearfully. He does not want the Prime to be mad at him. _The yellow one is treacherous! He brought human spies to Diego Garcia. I only wished to preserve the safety of the secrets. I-_

_"You, Devastator-" _Optimus snarled, and everyone is amazed as the massive titan, around ten times Breakaway's size, shrinks back in meek fear. _"-Should have contacted me first. Then this entire mishap could have been avoided! I expected better from you, and you let me down."_

_I am sorry, Master... I shall not disobey again...I am sorry..._

Optimus nods, and Devastator, having sadly whimpered an apology, relaxes ever so slightly when he feels the rage diminish. He is forgiven, at least, his apology felt, and the Prime is no longer angry.

How STUPID! He should have contacted his Master first, like the faint inkling of his nature told him to. Now he is a fool, and he has tarnished his Master's image with his idiocy. Foolish Devastator...

Optimus explains to the nervous crowd, Bumblebee massaging his arms, wincing as they ache from where Devastator had bit him: "I apologise. Devastator acted rashly, believing Bumblebee and his humans were traitors, which is untrue. He WON'T-" Devastator flinched as he felt the warning in his mind and lowers his head in shame. "-Do it again."

The three fleshies, specifically the female, nod, and one male states: "Um, s-sure, we f-f-forgive him. J-Just, ah, h-h-h-hope w-we don't annoy h-him again." The male gulps and withdraws meekly.

The Prime nods, and states: "I believe apologies are in order. Devastator."

The combiner nods meekly and slowly walks forward, avoiding optical contact with his Master. He is shamed, and he must redeem himself. The yellow one is not a traitor, and he was stupid in attacking. The massive mech approaches Bumblebee, whom watches him apprehensively, before extending his aching neck to rub his head against the yellow body, grumbling apologetically. He was a fool to make so hasty a decision to attack, and he is sorry. The Prime demands his humility, and Devastator obeys.

The Autobot twitters in reply, forgiving, and strokes Devastator's crimson head, and Devastator likes it. It is not painful and is soothing. The combiner likes this little yellow one with the bonds of loyalty and trust to the little fleshies. Odd, but he knows by now that most of them are. Still, they are nice.

Bumblebee's forgiveness is earned, and Devastator turns his head to the three fleshies. He is wary, but-

_"They are allies and friends, Devastator." _The Master tells him, now soft, having understood and forgiven the titan, though stern. _"Sam saved my life, by using the Matrix to restore my spark. I owe him my life. And Mikeala and Leo are loyal friends as well. They are not spies."_

Devastator understands now, but he is astounded. The one named Sam, evidently the slim-faced nervous one that is less nervous then the other male, saved the Prime? Restored his life? Incredible! A mere human saved the Prime and earned his respect. Devastator's respect is earned as well. Anything that helps the Prime is good.

The huge mech leans forward and rumbles softly, begging forgiveness from the Prime-saviour and his comrades. He should not have assumed them as foe and liar. They are good; He can feel their bonds, especially between the Saviour and the female. Are they mates?

The males are nervous, but the female manages a small smile and rubs his crimson chin soothingly, murmuring: "Awww, you're not so bad. I forgive you."

The huge mech makes a sound similar to a mechanical purr. Her hands are shockingly soft, and they feel nice. Emboldened by her example, the two males pat his chin as well, muttering "Forgive you." and "Don't eat me..." Their hands are rougher then the females, but still soft and nice. Devastator rumbled again, before withdrawing and standing back respectfully.

"Well done, Devastator." Optimus warmly states, earning a flicker of redeemed pride from the giant, before speaking to the fleshies and Bumblebee: "All is forgiven. We shall return to our duties now. Bumblebee, perhaps you, Sam, Mikeala and Leo would like to be more closely acquainted with Devastator? If so, I shall see you later."

With that, the Prime leaves, and the soldiers follow. It is now just Devastator and the four he wrongly attacked.

The combiner expectantly stares at them, hoping for introductions and stories, much like Tatyana, Jazz and Barricade did. But the fear is still strong, and the one named Leo quickly states that he has to change the article of clothing known as the pants (For good reason; Devastator detects a sharp response of fluid discharge from the waste organ known as the bladder) before running off. Sam quickly states that he wishes to see Tatyana, nicknamed 'Tai' and rushes off as well. Mikeala hesitates, before stating the same, though also adding: "See ya' later, Devastator." and walking off respectfully.

Devastator growls to himself for laying on such a terrible first introduction as they leave, a nasty reminder of his foolishness, before turning and moving off to complete his patrols. However, there a clicking sound, and he turns to see that Bumblebee is following him. Curious, the huge mech turns to face the little one, whom twitters again, reaching out with a slightly dented arm to pat Devastator again. The huge mech accepts it silently, scanning the young Autobot. What is odd is the readings he retrieves from the throat structure; It is ripped and infected, preventing repairs as it constantly removed the repair nodes within that area via altering electronic messages from the processor, a sure sign of Megatron's touch.

Poor little one. He is mute, unable to talk. Well, the throat could still form some speech, but it plagues the youngster with sharp pain if he talks. Devastator cannot talk either. His throat is designed to expand into the Vortex Grinder, and can only form such primal noises like roars and growls. In that regards, they are similar; Mute and suffering.

The combiner growls another apology for his foolish attack, and the youngster accepts it with a cheerful flicker of vocals, soft and nice, before noting the long crane tower extending from the combiner's left arm, part of the truss crane, the hook neatly hanging from the top of the metallic appendage.

Bumblebee seemed to develop an idea and twittered excitedly, pointing at the hook on the end of the tower and making motions for lowering. Devastator is curious, so he lowers the hook, the metallic point glinting in the sunlight as the crane lowers it to the Autobot's height, whom promptly seizes it- And swings.

Only by digging the scoop-fingers into the ground does Devastator prevent the misbalance of weight pulling him arm around, as Bumblebee starts to swing round on his hook, like the human device known as, conveniently, a swing, the Autobot twittering with joy as he swung from side to side, Devastator supporting his weight easily. How odd, the fun that radiates off the Autobot from such a mere gesture. But Devastator likes it. It is nice, now he is forgiven for his foolish mistake earlier.

Grumbling with humour, Devastator watches as the Autobot builds momentum, swinging back and forth faster and faster, before, on the peak of a swing, letting go and flipping agilely through, before landing on the floor with ease and suddenly bursts in cheering, though it is not a voice, but an audio download via the vehicle form's radio. Impressive; Evidently, the Autobot can use sound footage off the Internet to make up for his muteness. Adaptive, certainly. Devastator rumbles again, before Bumblebee walks over and again pats him on the head, a soothing gesture, one that allows Devastator, despite his pain, to relax slightly and dim his optics contently.

With that done, the Autobot transforms and drives away, though twittering a promise of more getting-to-know-one-another later, glad to have gotten onto better terms with the combiner, whom moves to continue his patrols.

He has made another close comrade already; Hopefully, the three fleshies will truly forgive him in time and befriend him as well. Devastator glances at the swinging hook before retracting it, and inwardly smiles. Oh yes, the Prime commands for friendship, and Devastator obeys.

The Prime is always right.

**Author's Note: This chapter was for Devastator's interactions with all the Autobots, but Bumblebee's came out so well, I decided to have it separate.**

**I just found it so funny how Devastator was so meek when Prime told him off, right after when he was intending to brutally murder the apparent spies and the traitor. He's an absolute beast, and if Prime hadn't have stopped him, he would have killed Bumblebee and the trio, just because he assumed they were spies and traitors. He takes his duty that seriously 0_0 **

**Poor Leo. First Devastator tried to eat him in Egypt, now this XD**


	5. Chapter 5

There was a great advantage to being nine vehicles in one Cybertronian. When split apart, Devastator could be everywhere at once. A cement truck on one side of the island, a bulldozer on the other and the other components everywhere in between. Currently, the combiner was split apart in his vehicle modes. He had several good reasons for this; One, being split apart meant he could patrol the island much more quickly then in robot mode, and defended it just as well (Each of his vehicles were well armed, from rail-guns to missiles to bullets to plasma)

Secondly, it meant he could spend time with all the Autobots at the same time. This was very useful; The Prime had commanded that he learn more about his new comrades, and Devastator would NEVER disobey the Prime. And thus, split up as he was, he was currently spending time with each Autobot.

All of his parts were with an Autobot; Ironhide, the black cannon, was with the red flatbed truck. The Femme Triplets were with the titanic Terex Excavator. Bumblebee was with the truss-crane. Ratchet and Jolt were working on the green dump-truck and the smaller yellow dump-truck and the orange bull-dozer. The little yellow bulldozer was with Breakaway, and the front-loader was with Sideswipe. The final component, the cement truck, was with Optimus Prime. And that was that (The Twins were running clean-up duty due to a prank. Devastator wasn't inclined to keep them company. Those who annoyed the Prime deserved punishment.

So, Ironhide was with the flatbed truck, on the training ground, observing the rather rocky stretch of terrain. The truck idled patiently, awaiting the black cannon to speak. Fortunately, the GMC was quick to the point, and stated: "So, Devastator, ready to see how a mech of his own body blasts some slag to bits?"

Ignoring the jibe, the truck rumbled its engine in agreement, as Ironhide smirked and levelled his massive cannons, one powered by a Dark Matter fusion reactor, like Megatron, and the other on a primal Heat Surge engine. With a surge of power, Ironhide fired two rockets, one after the other, screaming onto the course, just as two targets popped up-

BOOM! BOOM!

The targets were hit dead centre and fell back down, their specially designed metallic armour able to hold off the attacks from destroying them, as three more targets popped up, and a turret as well, which blasted a rocket at Ironhide, whom, without a care in the world, simply fired two rockets at two targets, grabbed the attacking missile mid-flight and tossed it back, the resulting explosion taking out the rest of the targets and the turret as well.

It was as easy as that. Ironhide hadn't even bothered to properly aim as he turned to face Devastator, grinning smugly, before rearing an arm back to blast down a final target without looking, before stating: "Now, Devastator; I understand your firepower in robot mode is unmatched. But what can your vehicles do? What weapons do they have? As the Autobot's weapon specialist, I might as well- OOF!"

For the flatbed truck had given a growl of engine power before it rammed forward, knocking down the unprepared Autobot to the floor, before huffing the engine similar to laughter. Devastator enjoyed playing around with smaller ones. So fun indeed.

Ironhide grumbled as he sat up, muttering: "Damn dirty sneak attack. Go get Sideswipe or something."

Devastator honked his horn in reply, before driving away easily. Probing around his connections, the flatbed heads off to the closest component; The Terex Excavator, which is currently the focus of the Femme Triplets, whom are performing the action known as 'cleaning' upon the vehicle. The soapy water feels good on the excavator's armour, and the femmes rub it in with soft rags, soothing his plating with ease. The truck draws up next to the other vehicle, and shuts down into recharge, while Devastator's mind-view switches to the Excavator, enjoying the femmes washing him down.

"Aw, when you think about it, the greatest Decepticon weapon is a big softy at spark!" Flareup giggled, polishing the window of the vehicle's cab cheerfully.

"Soft? Tell that to this." Chromia grunted, washing at the thick shovel on the end of the arm. "This could probably knock Optimus a good couple of metres."

"Devastator wouldn't do that!" Flareup protested crossly at her sister. "He's friendly and good now, on our side."

"Yeah, well, when he betrays us all for Megatron, don't come sobbing to me..." Chromia muttered, cleaning out the gritty joints of the excavator's arm.

Arcee speaks now, but Devastator has heard enough, insulted by the blue motorcycle, and shuts down the excavator as well. How dare the blue femme accuse him of betraying the Prime! He has never betrayed a Prime and he never will betray a Prime. He would sooner rip his body to shreds and toss himself into the crushing void of a black hole before even thinking of it. Foolish femme and her views of Autobot and Decepticon. Devastator serves the Primes, and that is that.

He likes the Triplets, with the one named Flareup being extremely kind and gentle, though silly and Arcee being logical and gentle. Chromia is strong and loyal, like the black cannon, but she is awfully judgemental. True, that is not the best phrase for Devastator to use, considering he killed any who did not obey his Prime as painfully as possible, but it is true. Still, she is good and that is that.

His front-loader component is with Sideswipe. However, the mech is meditating, balancing himself perfectly upright on his tired feet, swords withdrawn, peace on his face and preparation in his body. Sideswipe is a bold and loyal individual, lusting for battle like a fool human wishes for the kiss of a Succubus, but his battle-ready nature is countered by his friendships to the compassionate Bumblebee and the respecting Jolt. Indeed, the yellow and the blue ones are like brothers to the silver blade, and that is that.

Seeing as Sideswipe is not to be disturbed while he mediates on life and death, the front-loader shuts off into recharge as well, and now it is the truss-crane that is the focus of Devastator's mind, though he still feels Ratchet and Jolt work on his other components, he feels Breakaway bidding his bulldozer component good-bye before he flies off, and he feels the cement truck idling next to his Prime.

The Prime works hard and is not to be disturbed; The cement truck shuts down as well, though remains in stand-by should the Prime need help with anything and the bulldozer goes to join the truck, both in being with the Prime and on stand-by. And Breakaway has flown away, after telling him the joys of flying. He is a good mech who loves the freedom of flight, and Devastator likes him.

Back to his crane component, Devastator idly feels Bumblebee gently swinging on the crane's hook, the young mech relaxed and resting, clearly hoping for peace and quiet after his recent mission of scouting out South America for Decepticon activity. Devastator likes the yellow one. He is compassionate to all life, and loves the human's differing and fun ways of living. Humans have such short lives, and thus, Devastator will not bon with any of them. Even the Prime-saviour will die within a mere second of Devastator's lifespan. Devastator is almost as old as the legendary Primes themselves, long before the Earth itself and its eight sister planets were born.

Leaving the truss-crane to idly maintain the young scout, a kind soul who works so hard for someone so young (Compared to him at least) Devastator muses on the hybrid Prime, Tatyana. A sadness plagues him when he deduces that even though she is part Cybertronian, her human half will age... and die. It is truth; One day, her human half will fail, and when that fails, the machine will fail as well. Her lifespan will be done in a few minutes of Devastator's lifespan. Poor young Prime.

His last components, the two dump trucks and the orange bulldozer are being worked on by Jolt and Ratchet, trying to sort out the imperfections of the fusion process that causes Devastator's constant agony. They work hard and should not be disturbed.

Devastator had been hoping to interact more with the fellow servants of the Prime (Though his Master prefers to think them as equals. Odd, but Devastator does not question the Prime) But they are caught in themselves, their own worries and activities. It is strange, that their lives are not focused on serving the Prime. True, they obey him and follow him, but none of them truly serve the Prime. Even his own daughter disobeys him sometimes. That is foolish. Why does he keep such self-preservative minds as his soldiers? Devastator likes them, but he does not like their thinking of one self. The only one that mattered in this life was the Prime.

The Prime was everything.

But then, if the Autobots were totally subservient of the Prime, Devastator mused, then what would entertain him about them? It is their odd quirks that draws Devastator to like them. The fool Twins argue and fight most amusingly. Ironhide is gruff and likes to argue with the Prime about human nature. Ratchet is violent for a medic. Jolt, Bumblebee, Breakaway, Jazz, Sideswipe are all fun in their ways. The Femme Triplets are gentle and nice. And Barricade, though not Autobot, is gruff but caring (Though he would never admit it)

Devastator finds that he likes their self-aware minds, yet dislikes them as well. They obey great Optimus, but they do not serve the Prime like the combiner does. Well, perhaps this is what the Prime speaks; Freedom is their right.

Devastator internally shrugs to himself and shuts down his remaining components, the very, very few times all parts of him would be in recharge.

They are odd. But he likes that. Besides, one obedience for the Prime (Himself) is enough.

**Author's Notes: I love portraying Devastator's conflicted views on his new allies. He hates the fact they think for themselves and argue with Optimus. In his mind, only complete and utter obedience is worthwhile. Yet, he also likes their sentience, because their own will births the funny quirks Devastator likes about them. It's a nice juxtaposition for him and at the end, he figures that though he won't like their disobedience, he amusingly prefers them like that.**

**At least you're nice and obedient, you big softy :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: Just for all to know, this is a list of Devastator's vehicles, just so you all know:**

**Torso: Terex Excavator**

**Head: Cement Truck**

**Left Arm: Truss Crane (Arm), Yellow Bulldozer (Hand)**

**Right Arm: Front-Loader**

**Waist/ Lower Torso: Flatbed Truck**

**Right Leg: Green Dump Truck**

**Left Leg: Yellow Dump Truck (Thigh), Orange Bulldozer (Lower leg, foot)**

Most of the time, when one saw all nine of Devastator's components parked together, one would assume, that with a screech of twisting metal, metallic grinding and sparks flying, that he was about to combine into his massive robot form. However, on this day, this scenario was not the case.

The huge Terex Excavator, centre of the vehicles, was completely still, as were the other eight components. There wasn't a even a hum of energy from the vehicles, nor a snort of engines, nor even the slightest swing of the crane's hook. Devastator, the greatest weapon of the Prime's within the metal confines of a spare hangar donated to him, was completely and utterly silent. And of course, such silence was bound to worry some of the other inhabitants of the island. Especially since the combiner, having since moved into the hangar, had not moved an inch in five whole days.

It was almost as if he were dead.

Optimus stood tall before the entrance of the combiner's hangar, blue optics dimmed in concern, the sun gleaming off the red and blue of his colouring, glinting off silver metal and the windows upon his chest. As aforementioned, it had been five days since Devastator had retreated into the hangar, and the Prime was worried about the Autobot's newest member. Or members. Depends, really.

Regardless, the combiner was completely and utterly still, completely silent, as though he were in stasis. His spark remained safe; A dead Cybertronian lost it's colour, but nevertheless, it was eerie. At first, Optimus had thought Devastator was taking a long recharge, but it was clear something was wrong. The combiner didn't even respond to their link. The titan had completely shut himself down, leaving only the most critical and vital functions active. And currently, Ratchet, scanning the smallest vehicle, the yellow bulldozer, stood up and sighed heavily, a trait picked up from the humans.

"Status?"

"In stasis hibernation, and I've got a pretty good idea why." Ratchet replied dryly, standing up to his full height, withdrawing his laser scanner back into his right hand. Turning to face the Prime with a grave face, the Hummer stated this: "As you know, we believed Devastator destroyed when he was shot by the human's rail-gun. As you know, he survived and repaired himself. But fixing himself from such an attack-" Ratchet shook his head now. "-Cost him dearly."

Optimus met his medic's gaze and, hiding any wary nervousness behind his neutral calm, asked: "What is it?"

"The main wounds suffered by the rail-gun blast on him were his joints, where his neck and left arm connected to the torso." Ratchet stated, his optics producing a hologram of Devastator, and highlighting in red where the combiner had suffered the grave damage; True to his word, it was the neck and arms that had taken the worst of the blast. "So, in order to repair such vital and delicate metallic structure, Devastator was forced to recycle his solar power cells. These solar cells are composed of an ancient Cybertronian mineral known as solanor, and this metal is highly flexible and versatile, as well as strong. Its main use, however, is its ability to absorb all kinds of radiation. When properly connected to the power cells of a Cybertronian, it would allow them to harness the majority of radiation around them to convert into Energon."

Optimus figured it out quickly: "So, Devastator had to use the solanor components to repair his joint connections?"

"Correct. And as you can guess, that is where the problem comes in." Ratchet replied, gazing at the still form of the combiner with a restrained sadness.

"Without his solar power cells, Devastator cannot absorb energy to fuel himself." Optimus deduced, staring at the ground in sadness. "In short-"

"Devastator is starving to death." Ratchet finished gravely. "He's forced himself into stasis to preserve his life. But is futile. Eventually, he will run out of his reserve power, and his end will be agonisingly slow. And I can't perform an Energon transfusion on him. His combiner physiology is too incompatible to a normal Transformer. The shock would kill however linked to him in that way."

"isn't there something we can do, Ratchet?" Optimus asked softly. "We cannot deny him his redemption from the Decepticons. And we must spare this old relic the fate that awaits him. We cannot allow him to suffer such pain."

"There is some hope, Prime." The medic replied. "Devastator's left hand, the yellow bulldozer, has a small solanor forge stored within it. If Devastator had enough energy, he could reproduce the solanor and create new solar cells to fuel him. He will then be able to repair himself fully once his solar cells are back online, and restore his reserve tanks. But... he just doesn't have enough energy left. He barely has enough to transform and perform a few meagre actions before the energy decline would force him offline..."

Optimus sighed gravely, and moved forward towards the giant Excavator, the centre of the final remnant of the ancient past of Cybertron, the servant of the Primes themselves. Placing a silver hand reverently on the huge scoop of the vehicle, Optimus sighed softly: "Inform the others. We must find a way to save him. Somehow..."

"Should we tell the others?" Ratchet murmured, a questioning look on his face as he stared at the Prime.

"I think-"

"O-Optimus?"

At the familiar squeak of damaged vocal components, the truck turned to see the gleaming yellow form of Bumblebee, whom stood stoically near Ratchet, having apparently just arrived, the Camaro gazing at the Prime with a uncharacteristically hard look. Optimus turned to face the car as Ratchet moved forward to continue his scans of the components, and the truck sighed: "Bumblebee. What have we told you-"

"W-With all due-due respect, s-s-sir-" The Camaro hissed, his mechanical neck twisting with the effort to force damaged components into producing speech. "-I h-h-have an i-idea-" His throat sparked sharply, and the car flinched, earning a sharp glare from Ratchet, but he kept on: "-To h-help Devastator..."

Optimus tilted his head and gazed at the smaller Autobot, before stating: "Eavesdropping again, Bumblebee?"

"I-"

"No more talking from you." The Hummer snarled, aiming his arm and his laser seared at the young Autobot's throat, forcing it to shut down and undergo a quick repair wave, Bumblebee 'coughing' with the stinging sensation. "Use your com-talk function, idiot."

The Camaro glared at the neon search-and-rescue vehicle, before shrugging, rolling his optics, and sending a message to Optimus, whom received it and accessed it:

_You say Devastator has enough energy left to transform? Well, if he combined and used his Vortex Grinder to 'eat' some scrap material, courtesy of NEST, then perhaps he could siphon enough energy to keep himself going. Mudflap and Skids told me that they detected material extractors within him, to absorb all useful materials and energy from what flies into his maw. Then, give him more fuel, and he'll have more energy. And with more energy, he can repair himself._

Ratchet's gaze flicked from truck to car, and he was impressed when Optimus' optics lit up with that proud flair of hopeful strength and Bumblebee tilted his facial components into what would be seen as a smile. And it got better-

"Ratchet. We have a possible solution. We must must see Major Lennox at once."

**Dark**

So tired. He was very tired, and he barely felt anything as the black cannon grunted and shoved his cement truck component across the runway, pushing him somewhere.

It hurt him, this lack of feeling. His energy levels were critically low, and now, he was a lowly husk of what he was. His power had left him, and only the darkness comforted him with soft promises of the end. It would come soon. His systems were failing, slowly failing, and when they failed, his spark, without support or energy, would fade. And he would die.

He was not afraid of death. Why should he be? No, he was afraid of failure. If he died, then he would fail the Prime. Without him, who would serve the Prime? Who would obey his every whim and guard his very life? No-one could match the duty that Devastator. And now, his death crawling to him, inch by inch, no-one ever would. His scanners were only picking up the most groggy of images, as he wondered what has awakened him. Then, he feels it; The voice of his Master.

_'Devastator. Please, transform."_

The combiner must obey, and his components pathetically whine as they force themselves online. However, his Prime was not the only one speaking;

_'Devastator. Rest at last.'_

_'Let it take you. It is painless, and you-'_

_'You are an INSULT-'_

Devastator moaned in depraved longing as the voices of his previous Masters filled him; It would be so easy to give up now, and end himself, and allow his spark to join the old, but the descendant speaks again:

_'Devastator, please. Transform. We can help you.'_

Devastator serves the Primes. Only one of them lives, and that is who he must obey.

Even in all his time, Devastator could describe the agony as he forced himself to transform. The agony erupted the moment his components so much as touched each other, and his starving systems begged for mercy as his arm fused onto his torso, legs mounting onto the waist, and sparks flew from his dying form. The agony was everywhere, like fire, and it seared him from optic to spark, and he wished that death would spare him this merciless torture, but he must obey the Primes.

The Prime is _everything._

He can feel the others, watching him, pity in their cores as he slumped to the floor, his neck futilely grinding into position as his optics failed to come online, his arms struggling to raise his heavy form. Primes, it hurt so much. But he would not fail his Prime. He must obey. He must obey.

**He must obey.**

His systems warn him of his status as he forces himself to his feet through sheer force of the need to serve his Master, and they scream at his starving processor: **_Warning. Energon Levels at 2%. Optical systems offline. Primary and secondary scanning systems offline. Non-essential functions offline. Return to stasis lock to preserve energy. Reserve tanks: 0%. Return to stasis lock to preserve energy, or Devastator will go offline. Spark: Failing. Return to stasis lock to preserve energy-_**

_'Devastator...' _His Prime murmurs. _'Activate your Vortex Grinder. Engulf the material before you. Please._

The Prime commands him, and Devastator will obey.

**_Energon Levels at 1%. Vortex Grinder activating. Relaying all power from processor and components to Vortex Grinder. Energon Levels at 1%. Vortex Grinder: Active. Spark: Failing. Warning: Energy Levels-_**

**_New materials engulfed; Processing raw material. Material absorbed. Energy reclaimed. Repeat: Energy reclaimed. Energon Levels at 3%. Continue energy recovery. Vortex Grinder; Powering up. New materials engulfed. Material absorbed. Energon Levels at 4%. Audio and Optical sensors online. Main conscious processor online. Relaying outside._**

Devastator's mind returns to him, feeling metal tearing inside his throat as it flies into him, hearing cheers burst all around him as his systems greedily engulf the energy his Grinders rip from the materials. The terrible pain of fusion returns to him, but he feels the joy and happiness and triumph all around him, as a jet is jammed into his mouth, his Grinders tearing it apart with ease. His systems begin to regenerate, and his limbs unlock, his scanners reactivating, and if he were human, he would sag in relax.

He was going to live...

_'Well done, Devastator.' _His Master tells him, proud and happy, and Devastator feels pleased. His Master is happy and that is that.

The Prime is everything.

**Three days later**

NEST is abuzz with activity, as it often is, but Devastator ignores the humans, preferring instead to, ah, 'sunbathe' a human term for relaxing in the light of the sun. Thanks to the Prime, Devastator has recovered from his energy drain, his systems back up to full strength. After Lennox's kind donation of two hangars and a number of old vehicles and other scrap, Devastator had enough power to follow his Master to what the humans referred to as 'landfill sites' where they stored their non bio-degradable waste in huge craters.

Devastator is annoyed. Why would the humans waste so much material? Never mind; He feasted and feasted upon every last scrap of waste, absorbing every last bit of power he could garner from their every molecule. It took four whole landfill sites to final satiate his hunger, restore his reserve tanks, boot his energy to 100% and also give him enough power and material to reproduce his supply of solanor, the metal spreading throughout his body and taking in the glorious radiations of this world to feed him. At last, he was, as humans would say, 'full up'

Everyone understands what Devastator went through, having almost starved to death, and, surprisingly, everyone is glad he is alright. How trusting. Though, not everyone is glad, as Devastator found out, while relaxing with Bumblebee. The young mech's idea has saved him, and he is grateful to the yellow one.

As the combiner rested on the ground, Bumblebee stroking his head, the combiner notes the annoyance jerk Galloway yelling angrily at Major Lennox. Lennox is a kind and just leader, and Devastator does not like the annoyance jerk talking to a loyal friend of the Prime. But it soon becomes clear what the fool is talking about.

"You let that MONSTER eat MY car! My Mercedes! That car cost around $300,500 dollars, and in three seconds, that monstrous beast ate it and shredded it to pieces!" The man screamed, clearly on the verge of all out hysteria from the loss of his precious vehicle, which is now part of Devastator, the delicious and succulent parts having been used to better repair his face, where the fool Twin had broken out of his Grinder back in Egypt.

Either way, Bumblebee chuckles as Lennox forms a witty reply, and Galloway stomps off in rage. Devastator rumbles in humour, before resting his head on the ground, ignoring his constant pain. He will live. He has his cells now. He won't lose energy again. He may continue to serve the glorious Prime.

His systems falling into a light recharge, Devastator muses on one thing:

The jerk's car was very tasty...

**Author's Notes: Poor Galloway. Let's make him suffer, everyone! XD**

**This idea struck me as a nice plot to show Devastator's new life isn't all fun and games. But hey, guess what? He ate his way through FOUR landfill sites! Devastator is eco-friendly! :D **

**If you have any questions, or better yet, ways for Galloway to suffer, be sure to send them in! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: Today's episode of Combination: Blue marks the first use of an OC by Soundwave 0107 (Excluding the random plot device guy in Teen Tyrants) so, when you review, be sure to tell me how I did in that regard :P**

**So, Devastator discovers an evil plot. Will he save the day? Find out now! :D**

The nights of Diego Garcia were always eerily silent, that much was true. The squawking sea-birds returned to their roosts, the roar of planes were gone, the flying vehicles having either landed or flown away, the humans returning to their night quarters, and the Autobots rested with the Autobots Main Hangar. A few guards were awake, keeping watch over the island within the guard towers, but overall, the silence dominated all, as stars and the full moon shone softly above the island.

Devastator rumbled softly as he observed the natural satellite, his green optics clicking and whirling as the lens' stretched out for a closer look at the black craters that littered the white surface, before he shook his head and turned his attention back to the island. Massive limbs creaking with the endless agony, the combiner set off down the dark path of his patrol. Being nine components in one body, he rarely needed to recharge, since it was easy to shut down lesser functions of his body to rest himself, not to mention he could engulf any waste material to keep his titanic energy supply at a good height.

In short, Devastator rarely slept, and if he did, it wasn't for very long. He was an incredibly efficient being, after all. He had to be, in order to serve the Prime to his fullest extent. The Prime himself slept, as the humans would call it, resting his systems, and their link was silent and peaceful. All was well.

Except for a shadowy blur in the moonlight. The minute his green optics registered it, he knew peace was gone.

Devastator rumbled softly as he instantly froze, his stealth systems powering up quickly, masking his body in distorting waves that blurred vision and interfered with scanning systems. His power signature was masked as his limbs locked into place and shut down to increase the effectiveness of his stealth mode and his optics dulled to hide their distinctive glow as they scanned the night for the sliver of movement he had seen. There was something out there, something with much better stealth qualities then he, but they hadn't seen him at least. His titanic form was surprisingly easy to hide from his fellow Cybertronians, but humans did not have sensitive scanners to interfere with. Thus, a human could just make out his form in the darkness, but a Cybertronian wouldn't. Not until it was too late.

However, his optics, shifting from thermal to night-vision to ultra-violet, finally caught something in the third spectrum. A human.

NEST had received new soldiers recently, and Devastator did not trust them. New blood was good to a human, but to a longer-lived Cybertronian, especially one as old as the colossus, it was all about quality, not quantity. And now, one human moved through the night, too fast for a normal fleshy, and using a refractor to bend visible light, rendering it invisible to human eyes. But this left a vulnerability: Ultra-violet scanners could easily pick up the distortion, and Devastator knew that somehow, a Decepticon had assumed the form of a human and infiltrated NEST.

Well, it would die now.

However, his link flared with sudden panic as he realised the Decepticon, clearly a Pretender (Only they had the skills to evade Autobot scrutiny, but Devastator had the advantage of nine sets of scanners in one body) headed towards a small bunker that held the Prime Hybrid, Tatyana Witwicky, and the Apprentice, Jazz. Their safety became top priority, and Devastator disengaged stealth mode and entered battle mode, rockets launchers unfolding from his back as rapid-fire particle lasers flipped open on his arms as his link screeched out a warning to the Primes and the Apprentice, jolting them awake as he unleashed a savage roar that earned the attention of the Pretender, whom suddenly transformed into robot mode and made a beeline for the bunker.

Now, the base was rousing awake from his roar, as lights flicker one, shouts were heard, Autobots engines sounded, and a missile screamed as it flew out his back, heading towards the enemy with ease. However, the Pretender held great agility and dodged the projectile, but thankfully, it had been driven away from the bunker as Devastator stomped forward to confront the foe. The slim frame showed that the Decepticon was a femme, colour mid-night black and navy-blue, with sharp crimson optics and a curved head, with sharp double-jointed legs and arms like a human. No matter, for she would die.

_"Devastator, report. What's the situation?"_

The voice of his Prime was soothing, and Devastator responded eagerly as his weaponry trained on the enemy, his massive body blocking the femme from the bunker, preventing any assassinations from taking place: _Master, Decepticon infiltration by a Pretender. Requesting permission to terminate._

_"Negative, Devastator. Capture her alive for interrogation. We are coming to assist." _The Prime ordered.

Devastator complied instantly, his weapons shutting down and retracting back into his body, but now, he raised a massive fist and slammed it into the ground. The resulting shockwave shook the fleeing foe off balance and she stumbled to the floor. By now, the Autobots had arrived on the scene- Specifically Sideswipe and Jolt.

The Corvette raced forward and caught sight of their foe, before whipping out his blades and growling, blue optics lighting up the thrill of battle: "Freaking Pretender. C'mon, Jolt, let's take her out!"

"Negative. Prime ordered a capture, so capture we will." The Volt replied, blue body glowing before flinging out a whip to try and snag the fleeing femme, whom managed to dodge the whip and take off at a sprint, fleeing for the forest. Sideswipe revved his engine, before wheeling off after her, Jolt following quickly, as Devastator growled and stomped off after them, linking to the now awake Apprentice and Hybrid:

_Decepticon intrusion. Recommend perimeter to trap foe._

_"Got it, Devastator." _Jazz replied smoothly. _"I'll get Breakaway on it."_

_"Let's take this freak out!" _Tatyana exclaimed eagerly, always so joyous for battle.

The combiner grunted in response, before moving off after the two Autobots pursuing the Pretender. Devastator draws up a memory file from his memory core processor and quickly identifies the intruder and posts the file to the Autobots:

_Type-1 Pretender Class Decepticon Assassin. Designation: Femme Ninestrike. Function: Infiltration and Assassination. Upgrades: Photon Manipulation Stealth Generator, Kinetic Force Pulsars. Weaponry: Type-5 Rapid-Fire Photon Shoulder Cannon, Type-3 Telescopic Strike Weapon, Type-2 Neural Whip Blades (x 9)_

Devastator knows Ninestrike, a seductive but vain femme, a close comrade of courier Sideways (deceased) and warrior Grindor (active), a snooty, upper-class creature whom considered herself superior to others, but was actually very easy to anger and humiliate, as tactician Blackout (deceased) proved countless times. Devastator idly wondered why this particular foe was here, before deciding it to be revenge for the Decepticon reasons. After all, Ninestrike took even the smallest insult as a personal affront. The whoosh of fire above him signals Breakaway moving off to circle and trap the intruder, and the combiner knows her defeat is only a matter of time.

Jolt and Sideswipe pursued the agile femme into the forest, the faster Corvette having an easier time keeping pace as his machine guns lit up, firing wildly into the darkness, bullets raining throughout the forest, splintering off trees and bursting into the dirt. There is a couple of sparks and hisses of pain when a bullet strikes the target, and the Corvette-

WHACK!

The Decepticon had just extended a sharp, bladed whip from her wrist that slices through the base of a tree, the botanical organism having fallen down and landed on Sideswipe's head, snapping in half other the stronger metallic cranium, but it dazed Sideswipe nonetheless. However, Jolt managed to catch up then and fired a blast of electricity that hits the femme dead on. She hits the floor of a clearing hard, but is quick to get back up. Smaller Cybertronians had faster recovery systems then their larger brethren, making them harder to take down, and this creature was fuelled by vengeance, as Jolt stopped a safe distance away and faces off against the femme, as Sideswipe staggered around, his processor buzzing with the concussion he just suffered.

"Why are you here, Decepticon?" Jolt snarled, his claws crackling with electricity, as the femme twirled her sharp whip around, glaring angrily at him. Some might consider her beautiful, but Jolt saw her as a sickening pile of scrap.

"I'm here to get my revenge, stupid Autobot..." She hissed maliciously. "You'd better get out of my way, or I'll kill you as well."

"What revenge are you after, may I ask?"

"Polite. I hate that. It is of no concern to you; You are not the one I want. But like I said, move aside or die as well!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Sideswipe snapped, having recovered at last, taking up an offensive position beside Jolt, his blades glinting in the moon and from Jolt's crackling power. "It's two against one, and our friends will be here soon!"

"By which time you and blue-boy will be dead, and I having made my escape!" Ninestrike cackled, before seven more whips ejected form her wrists, four on each arm, each writhing with blades, before she flung all of them at the two Autobots. Jolt quickly dodged out of the way as the lines of silver missed him, while Sideswipe held up his blade in defence, the four whips sent at him wrapping around the blade. Sideswipe retracted the second blade, pulled his other arm back to fling the femme towards as he reared back his fist and punched her to the floor before she crashed into him.

However, a nine whip, giving Ninestrike her name, whipped out of her back, like a tail, and it jabbed into Sideswipe's hip, causing him to stagger back as his left leg shorted out suddenly with a penetration of a neural connector circuit, and Ninestrike pulled her whips free and started savagely hacking at Sideswipe. Thankfully, his sleek, friction-retardant armour caused the blades to mostly slip off without causing much damage, and he flung out a leg to kick her into a tree.

The femme hissed as she leapt out of the hole in the tree, but Jolt was back, flinging his own whip at the femme, whom flung up her own weapons in response. The four whips wrapped around Jolt's weapon, stopping it from hitting her, as her shoulder cannon unfolded from her back and opened fire on Jolt, whom quickly unleashed electricity, which coursed down the whips and deliver a painful shock to the Pretender, though the Volt winced as lasers hit his blue form again and again.

Sideswipe intervened then, his sword swinging down and neatly slicing off the four whip of Ninestrike. Though the loss of her weapons was a nasty blow, the femme was now free from Jolt's electrocution and flung her other four whips up, which struck Sideswipe painfully across the face, while her ninth whips swung round and knocked out his left foot from under him, causing the Corvette to fall forward onto Jolt, knocking both to the floor.

The femme grinned, as her severed whips reattached themselves to the cut ends, repairing them easily, before she idly spun them round as she advanced on the struggling mechs (They were trying to get the other off them, you see) snapping the weapons against the ground, her shoulder aiming for Sideswipe's head, as she readied to deliver more of the pain. Not before stating:

"So, Sideswipe, it ends here for you and your blue friend. Vengeance will be mine!"

"Why do you want revenge on me?" Sideswipe asked, struggling to get back up his left leg still shorting out.

"You killed my best friend! You murdered Sideways, and now, you will pay the price!"

Sideswipe's optics widened in surprise, just as the femme reared up all her whips, the bladed ends aiming for Sideswipe's spark.

Shame she never saw the massive crimson maw heading straight for her, before Devastator's jaws clamped onto the femme and, crunching his jaws nastily, with a shake of his agonised head, he flung the femme away, as Jolt quickly got to work reconnecting Sideswipe's leg servos, while the combiner moved after his target.

Smashing his way through the trees, he encountered his foe by the cliff-side, dazed, but still alive. As Devastator snarled and advanced on the injured femme, whom struggled to her feet, her legs slightly mangled from where Devastator's jaws had met, Breakaway descended from the sky and landed to the right of Devastator, just as the Apprentice and Barricade stopped nearby, Tatyana and the Arcee Triplets joined them as they all aimed their weapons at Ninestrike, whom snarled angrily, injured and outnumbered.

"Stop there, Decepticon, or we'll fire..." Jazz growled, as Jolt and Sideswipe quickly joined the others. "Just deactivate your weapon systems and come with us now."

"Never..." Ninestrike hissed defiantly, her whips retracting as her shoulder cannon folded onto her back.

"Sorry to disappoint you, bimbo-" Tai snarled, aiming her cannon at the Pretender. "-But that wasn't a request!"

"Yeah? Well, too bad. Bye, idiots!" The femme sneered, before, much to everyone's shock, back-flipping off the cliff, disappearing over the edge. Then, just as surprising to everyone, there was a whirl of rotor blades, and the massive form of a Super Stallion helicopter ascended from behind the cliff, moving off into the night sky, the femme clinging to the side of the flying vehicle, clearly the Decepticon Grindor, as it flew off into the night sky. Breakaway seemed ready to pursue, but Jazz ordered: "No, Break'. Big jerk wants ya' to follow him."

"We can't just let them get away!" The jet protested.

"Alright, fly after them, and see if there's no ambush waiting for you." Jazz snapped, sarcasm dripping from his voice, annoyed that Breakaway would be so hasty. The jet stood down, as Devastator rumbled slightly, his green optics following the fading helicopter, before he linked to the Prime:

_Master, the Decepticon had an accomplice, designated Grindor. They have escaped._

_"Very well. Were there any casualties?"_

_Negative. _

_"Then that is that. I doubt the Pretender will return, know that we are aware of her existence. Report back to the base, Devastator."_

_I obey._

As the Autobots and just-arrived humans grudgingly made their way back to the base, Devastator cast a final glance into the sky before following after them. This was his first confrontation with Decepticons after he had joined the Prime. And he knew there would be more conflicts between him and the Fallen's Apprentice and his army soon enough. However, Devastator will not be so merciful when that time comes...

**Author's Notes: Devastator pwned the OC with one bite, but Grindor saves her aft. And Sideswipe was dumb enough to underestimate a small thing. Remember, folks; Never underestimate something smaller then you. Look what happened to poor old Jetfire. Got a hole right through him.**

**So, Ninestrike, the Decepticon creation of me, Soundwave 0107, revealed as a snooty lil' bitch who was buddy-buddy with Sideways. I would like feedback on Ninestrike, if you don't mind, despite her rather minor role, considering it's from Devastator's point of view. She's just lucky Prime ordered a capture rather then a kill, otherwise Devastator would have just eaten her XP**

**And why is Grindor still alive, you ask? Because he's like Blackout, and Blackout is awesome. Thus, Grindor has inherited my favouritism for Blackout XD**

**If you wish, feel free to send in requests for other stuff in the later chapters of this fic. However, I must ask that there be no Sunstreaker requests. No offence, but I hate that guy. He was such an egotistical prick back in G1, and I never really liked him. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: Sorry for late upload :P**

**So, Lightning-fall asked if a certain someone could arrive in this fic. And thus, brace yourself-**

**_He's _coming...**

Ever since the infiltration of the Decepticon Pretender, Ninestrike, and two failed assaults by Seeker drones, the second fleet led by Decepticon Air Commander Starscream (Whom had naturally fled after the drones had been destroyed), Devastator had been as vigilant as ever, patrolling the island day in, day out. Only one of his components was permitted to recharge, with the rest scanning every last inch of the island 24/7. The combiner breed was far superior to normal Cybertronians, and Devastator could keep going and going, unlike the single beings.

Every approaching aircraft was always targeted until approved of being friendly, every new-comer on the island underwent a hefty scanning process to detect any trickery and every structure was scanned and fixed of flaws to ensure the continued strength of this island fortress. Devastator would not allow any Decepticon intrusion ever again. It disgusted him that the humans and the Autobots could be so casual about all of this. Even his Prime, dare he admit it, seemed far too relaxed about these events.

_"It is nothing to fear, Devastator. We have secured Diego Garcia competently and swiftly. The Decepticon assaults were held off with ease, and Ratchet has installed special detectors that can pick up the increased mass of a Pretender compared to a normal human. All systems are clear of viruses and other woes. The island is secured. We are vigilant, but you need not but too much effort in that you end up tiring yourself out."_

That had been the answer the great Prime had given him when the combiner voiced his concerns, and Devastator accepted it, for the Prime's word was law. But still, if he had had his way, every being on this island would be patrolling and monitoring for enemy activity as long as they were able to. Having breaks was unacceptable to the titan, and only the Prime's authority prevented the colossus from punishing such insolence.

The lazy fools were lucky that the Master restrained the great combiner's urges to punish.

Thus, from the sun's glorious rise to it's humble passing into the night, Devastator remained watchful, forcing himself to be the optics, audio, scanners and shield of Diego Garcia. Nothing else could match his devotion to protect the Master and his fellow servants, and the combiner would destroy everything that threatened this place...

The night was falling upon the land, and as the Prime Hybrid and the Apprentice returned to their bunker for the night, they cheerfully waved at the stoic combiner, whom nodded in response, but otherwise ignored the duo, his concentration focused scanning a 3-mile radius every minute, his optics watching the sky, his weapon systems primed and ready to fire. Despite the ever-lasting agony that plagued the giant, he would never stutter in his defence of his Master.

The Prime was everything.

A crescent moon filtered through the dark layer of clouds over the island, with the occasional dot of a stray star. Devastator ignored these feats of natural beauty, preferring to watch the sky for Decepticons. Nothing had appeared on his scanners, but paranoid caution had taught him to never let his guard down. Nothing would get past him, not even a fleet of Decepticon warships. The combiner would even take on Unicorn himself in defence of the Prime. And he would win, one way or another, against any and all threats...

_Devastator..._

The combiner froze at an unknown phenomenon registering within his processor; A voice, deep and stoic, contacting him through some kind of communications that no Autobot had. Something in his mind itself.

Devastator rumbled as he glared at the sky. Whatever it was, it unnerved the combiner, and he quickly detoured power from shielding systems to all weaponry, in case this was the prequel to an assault. His massive bulk shielded against most weaponry, so that was good enough to protect him from whatever threat may be out there, a threat capable of intruding upon processor functions.

Wait. Only one mech could perform such a feat, could break through any communication jam and speak to a mind itself...

_'Soundwave...'_

_Indeed, Combiner. I am Soundwave. Role: Communications Officer of Lord Megatron. And you, Devastator, super-weapon of the Fallen, have betrayed us._

The combiner's advanced scanners picked up on a signature moving towards the island. Evidently, Soundwave wanted this discussion to be personal. Devastator's first instinct was to warn the Prime and drive off this threat. But Soundwave had been a trusted servant of the Fallen, Devastator's previous master. And the titan felt he owed it to his old leader, a final request, to hear out this mech. Besides, if Soundwave tried anything, the combiner would kill him. Simple as that.

_'You wish to discuss with me...' _ Devastator growled, optics focusing on the incoming vehicle with distrust. _ 'For what purpose?'_

_Purpose: To understand, combiner. Understand why you have betrayed the Decepticons._

_'I have performed no such betrayal, not of the Decepticons, nor anything else.' _Devastator retorted to the accusation, just as the Cybertronian jet moved into full view, a sleek grey body dotted with blue lights and angular panels and dual sub-sonic thrusters. Upon closing in on the combiner, the vehicle transformed to robot mode.

Transformation seemed impressive from a human's point of view, but to a fellow Cybertronian, it was nothing special. Nevertheless, Devastator remained cautious as the mech transformed into robot form. Despite his passive role in the war as a Communications Officer and hacker, Soundwave was a surprisingly lethal fighter, utilising his tentacle-like probes as extra appendages in battle, as well as sharp blades on his arms, sonic weaponry and his infamous telepathic abilities. Devastator knew Soundwave was more then capable of fighting multiple opponents at once, and would be able to inflict some damage before Devastator could destroy him. Thus, the combiner remained vigilant as the iconic crimson visor glared at him.

The two faced off, Devastator far larger then his foe, the combiner being sure to spread his mental processes throughout of all his limbs. This tactic ensured that the mind-reader could glean nothing from Devastator except what the combiner wanted him to hear. After all, a mind split into nine components was near impossible to deduce, since there was just too many thoughts within a single body to handle, an effective counter-measure against psychological based tactics. Soundwave began, the three glowing orbs in his chest pulsating with energy:

_You have abandoned the Decepticons, Devastator. Motive: Unknown. Soundwave: Wishes to understand motive of leaving._

_'The Decepticons left me for dead upon the destruction of the Master Fallen.' _Devastator snarled, remembering the agony of the heat, the gritty sand and the lack of solanor that left him starving to death. _'And the Prime found me. My loyalty is to the Primes, and that is that. The Prime is everything.'_

_I see. _Soundwave noted coldly. _And this Prime forces you to act as a mere guarding pet. Conclusion: You are nothing to him but a walking shield._

_'That is my purpose; To protect and obey the Primes. Emotional caring, concern, is nothing to me, when I must serve to the loss of my spark.' _Devastator retorted. How foolish of this mech to think Devastator would care for petty insults. Devastator was designed to obey the Primes. Nothing would change that. Even if Optimus Prime did not care for him as a being, the combiner would forever serve him, because the Prime was everything and the Prime's word was law.

Soundwave observed Devastator's thoughts with disdain: _You lower yourself to a point of being nothing but a mere pet to the fleshlings. Even that Tatyana Witwicky- _The satellite's stoic voice tinted with disgust- _orders you around, for her petty ideas of playing, and you obey her. Devastator: A tool._

_'I obey the Primes. That is all. The Hybrid is not as much as the Prime, but she is of Prime lineage, and Devastator obeys the Primes. That is all there is to Devastator.' _The combiner stated. The satellite's mind-games did not work on such a single-minded creature as himself. There was only one purpose to the colossus, and that was obedience.

_Devastator: Have you any thoughts for yourself? Do you let the Prime control you fully? _Soundwave asked coolly, his logical mind seemingly incapable of processing such a zealous dedication to a single Autobot. Why would the greatest beast of all time, the monster named after the infamous Devastator Winds of Cybertron, lower himself to the pathetic slave of the Autobots?

_'I obey the Primes. That is all there is to Devastator.' _The combiner stated with cold finality. _'If you have nothing left but disobedience and wishes for oneself, there can never be order. Thus, I obey.'_

_I see. _Soundwave mused, crimson visor dimming in slight thought. _Then, there is one logical conclusion. Devastator: Autobot servant. Will be destroyed by Decepticon forces. Be prepared for your fate approaches. With regards._

Devastator knew the conversation was over, as the mech hover into the air and switched into his flying jet mode. His optics kept an eye on the jet as it promptly zoomed away, but there was nothing now. Soundwave was gone and he would not return anytime soon. Diego Garcia remained peaceful. Perhaps he should tell the Prime of this, but Devastator decided against it, unless of course he was asked to divulge his activities of this night. Soundwave had had no ulterior motive tonight, and thus was no threat now.

Still, the satellite's words rang in Devastator's mind. Was he merely a puppet to the Prime? Was he just a play-toy to the Autobots? He considered this, before discarding the thoughts. No matter what he may be, he served the Prime.

The Prime is everything.

That is that.

**Author's Notes: Oh yeah, baby. Soundwave himself just made an appearance :P**

** I love writing out as Devastator. Don't you lot just enjoy the juxtaposition (posh word for contrasts within a scenario) of Devastator and Optimus, the former a being of complete obedience and servitude who cannot comprehend thinking for one's self and the latter being a compassionate creature to whom Free Will is a gift that must always be upheld and protected? XD**

**Soundwave had a short conversation, sure, but there was really no point continuing the argument Devastator. His loyalty to the Prime is unmatched. Which reminds me: Any OC's of the author's on this site who are related to a Prime in any way have the potential to control Devastator, since his function is to obey the Primes and their descendants (except poor Megatron, of course). Makes you think, doesn't it? **

**Of course, my OC, Ninestrike, is not Prime related, and is merely a pal of Grindor and Sideways, big to medium to small :P**

**Speaking of which, an Anonymous person asked me why Ninestrike went to such efforts to avenge Sideways, since Decepticons aren't friends. Well, consider this: Demolishor, the giant excavator unicycle, is known not only for his size and power, but for taking smaller Cybertronians, such as Sideways, under his care, protecting them from enemies. If a giant demolishing fella' can care for others, I figure a wee Pretender can too. Decepticons have more to them then just villains, you know :P**

**That was a long Author Note. Well, any requests you have, send them in so I can steal them and claim them for myself- I mean, put in the story. Yeah :P**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: This chapter is per request from the loyal reviewer of that old Grindor/Jolt questionnaire thing I once did, none other then the wonderful, the peachy, the glorious Miss Crazy about Fanfic's! :D Pleasure to hear from you again, old friend.**

**So, enjoy this chapter, you and all the other viewers :D**

**Have fun!**

Understandably, Devastator was often on edge. Ever since the two Decepticon assaults, Ninestrike's infiltration attempt and Soundwave himself arriving, the combiner had been even more dutiful in his patrols and safety measures. Rarely did he ever recharge, always patrolling the island, and he'd taken to constructing automated turrets by cannibalising his own armour and weaponry into these new turrets. It was of no problem to him; His solanor components constantly absorbed energy for him to rebuild his body constantly, and he could make more turrets so long as he had power to replace his parts that he used to build them.

Another project of the construction-inclined combiner was a force field around the main command centre of Diego Garcia, constructed of his own shield generators. However, it was going very slowly, since he had to maintain his shield generators for himself and keep rebuilding them when he removed them for constructing the barrier. And shield generations systems took longer to reconstruct from energy reserves then mere weapons and automated targeting systems.

Nevertheless, he kept at his duty, making the island as impenetrable as possible. Once he'd implanted turrets in as many places as he could, and once he'd finished building that shield barrier, then he could relax somewhat, knowing the island was better protected. even better, since the turrets were made from his own body, they could not be shut down, since his spark powered them all remotely. And Cybertronians were relatively immune to human EMP weaponry, due to their far advanced systems and unique spark energy.

In short, Diego Garcia had nothing to worry about so long as Devastator was around.

But there was a new problem, one sunny day at the island, for Devastator to face, and that problem was due to the human commander, Major William Lennox, a brave and obedient warrior whom did not like the annoying jerk Galloway.

On this day, with the sun fuelling Devastator's energy resources, and the birds flitting through the air, and the ocean lapping teasingly at the sandy beaches, the trees moving in rhythm with soft gusts of wind, the combiner was indulging himself in a rare recharge, his massive form laying down near the entrance of the island's land-bridge, body immobile, but scanners idly searching around nonetheless. The Prime himself had ordered the combiner to rest, and Devastator, no matter how paranoid he may be, would never disobey the Prime.

After all, the Prime was everything.

So, recharging peacefully, Devastator's scanners picked up a personal transportation vehicle that the humans called a 'car' driving along the road that led to the island from the main land. This road was seldom used, due to occasional flooding from the ocean, but when it was clear, it became quite busy. At first, Devastator considered 'waking up', as the humans would call it, and intercepting this vehicle, but when his scanners detected the unique deoxyribonucleic acidic signature of William Lennox, he decided to let it be. The Major would not let any traitors or 'media' onto the island.

However, there was something odd about this vehicle. There were two other biological signals, one of a femme and the other of a... youngling?

This perked Devastator's interest. He had never seen a human youngling before, since younglings were not allowed on the island due to it's militaristic nature, yet the Major brought one here, and a femme as well?

Could it be the human's family? Perhaps.

So, Devastator rumbled as his mobility systems activated, ignoring the ever-constant agony that always plagued him, despite Ratchet's best attempts, and the combiner heaved himself to his feet, the ground cracking slightly under his titanic weight as he reared up, his green optics lighting up to better take in the light-red car, designated as a Toyota Yaris, a rather tall car designed more for transport and comfortably holding around seven humans then speed or looks.

The car's driver, the Major himself, noted the curious stare of the titan, and stopped the vehicle near the combiner, and climbed out with quick, competent ease, and stated loudly: "Morning, Devastator."

The combiner rumbled and inclined his head in greeting, more interested in the nervous female he had not seen before. She moved out of the car slowly, clearly torn between trusting her mate's confidence in the giant and her fear of such a large being. Nevertheless, she steeled herself, showing Devastator an impressive confidence despite hesitation, and moved away from the slight more safe vehicle to stand by the grinning Major, whom stated to his mate:

"Don't worry, Sarah. Devastator is big, and his name might not sound reassuring, but he's a good guy."

So, the femme was named Sarah. Though Devastator did not care for personal human traits, all humans being generally the same to him, except of course for gender and age differences, he was interested to see what creature was able to obtain the love and trust of such a brave solider.

Well, by human standards at least.

"He is big." The femme murmured, one hand moving nervously to push blonde hair out of the way of her wide, awed yet fearful optics- No, eyes. The humans called their visual sensors eyes. Odd name, but it works. "Are you sure-"

"Sarah-" Will stated reassuringly. "He saved us from Decepticons three times in a row. And Optimus trusts him. That's good enough for me."

Devastator reared up proudly. Of course the Prime trusted him. He was the most powerful, most efficient, most loyal servant of the Prime. The Prime was everything. He would never betray his Master, as Soundwave had found out.

"Alright... Um, nice to meet you, D-Devastator." The femme stated to the combiner, forcing her fear down in place of polite greeting.

The combiner rumbled in approval of her quick acceptance and resilience to fear, before leaning in closely, being sure to scan her thoroughly, from top to bottom. He could detect every gram of bone marrow, every ounce of blood, every strand of DNA and even the individual pulses of her neural system. He was sure to file her DNA code away; Devastator learned everything he needed to know from DNA about a human, and had no concern for physical features.

It was all in the building blocks of their bodies, so to speak.

"He's getting closer..." Sarah murmured, backing away a step, but Will grinned and replied:

"He's fine. He wants you to pet him, like this."

Devastator rumbled in approval at the male's soft hand against his metallic jaw. The agony that plagued him receded somewhat from the touch of a trusted comrade, and he enjoyed that. The femme hesitated, but the Major chuckled: "Don't worry, Sarah. He doesn't bite."

"More like swallow you whole." Sarah muttered, and Devastator had to appreciate that kind of wit, before she tentatively moved forward and placed her hand on his jaw. Her hand was softer and more gentle then her mates, and he liked it.

"It's warm." The femme murmured. "And kinda smooth."

"See? He's alright, Sarah. C'mon, let's introduce Annie to him!" The male laughed cheerfully, moving away from the mech to go to the car. This struck the female sharply, and she hissed: "What? But, Will! He's so, so... massive!"

"He's fine, Sarah." Will repeated firmly, moving over to the back-door of the red car, where Devastator detected the youngling. "He's completely loyal to Optimus. We can trust him, because he can trust us. And believe me, I've seen what happens when this guy gets mad, but Optimus can calm him down in a snap. Don't worry."

"What got him so mad then, that Optimus had to stop him?" The femme demanded, and Devastator felt slightly annoyed at her pessimism. Why wasn't this femme obeying her superior? Will was a high-ranking Major, and she a mere civilian. She should learn total obedience, rather then questioning command. And why did the Major hesitated in slight worry at her words? Did human femmes have some kind of power over their mates? Was humanity a female-dominated organic race, despite what that Leo human claimed?

Nevertheless, Will grudgingly replied: "Well, Bumblebee once brought Sam and the others here, and Devastator thought they were intruders, and he, well... went ballistic, and nearly killed them. Basically, anything suspicious, and he wants it dead or gone."

A fact that Devastator regretted. He should have been more controlled in his reactions.

Sarah seemed disturbed by this: "He nearly killed those poor children? Will-"

"Sarah, Optimus has taught him better." The man replied to her obvious protesting, opening the door and reaching in. "He's fine now. Devastator won't attack anyone without reason. Besides, if he were still like that, he would have attacked us, wouldn't he?"

The femme bit her lip, unable to formulate a response to that logic, as the male human brought out a youngling from the car, and cooed: "Hey, Annie, say hello to Devastator!"

Turning his attention from the nervous femme, Devastator leans in for a close look at the male's youngling. His first thought on the little thing is that it so small, smaller then his optics, even. Scans showed effective, but limited muscular and cerebellum activity, suggesting that younglings are not as able to move and think as adult humans could, but there was an organic energy and excitement nonetheless. This little thing, scans showing it as a femme, seemed excited to see him. How odd. Then again, younglings, lacking experience, did not feel fear as adults did. This little one also had an interesting DNA structure, like it was a combination of the DNA of Will and Sarah Lennox. How did the humans form a combination of their genes into a youngling? Odd. Perhaps the Internet would provide answers, but not right now. Devastator wanted to see what this little femme would do.

"Devastator, this is our daughter, Annabelle Lennox, but you can call her Annie, if you want." The male chuckled, holding the girl securely in his arms, speaking proudly, as if this youngling was his greatest achievement. Interesting. The little one giggled slightly as Devastator softly rumbled a greeting, his canners warning him to be quiet so not to damage the youngling's developing audio systems, the ears as it was known as among humans. And, surprisingly, the little one giggled out: "De-van-ta-to! Hiya!" and reached out a tiny hand to pat at his massive head.

Hmm, it appeared her vocal systems were slightly underdeveloped. She could speak, but some words and pronunciations were beyond her, currently. Still, he appreciated her effort to name him, and he rumbled again, feeling her impossibly soft hands pat nicely on his metallic armour.

She has a soft, round face, typical of a young child, and her limbs are not as long as an adult, though the head is larger in cranium-to-torso ratio. It also appears she has more bones then an adult human, though those would fuse together with age. It is strange, yet fascinating, how humans changed with age, turning from something so small and, what was the word? Ah, cute. Anyway, these little things change so much, developing hormonal chemicals, growing taller and stronger, then withering with old age. It is strange, yet natural of organics to change so much from birth to death.

And this little femme, a 'girl', is supposedly three years old, as a comment from her mother to Devastator reveals, his audio barely picking up the statement, as he is engrossed in studying the little one.

How amazing; This tiny thing, barely a flicker of life in this universe, so curious and energetic. He can sense the childish excitement in her mind, and he knows that her little body can use that excitement as fuel for amazing energy-

"Hey, hey, hey, if it isn't Lennox wife and junior!" A familiar voice laughed, and the quartet turned to see the silver form of Jazz walking over, grinning widely as well as a robotic life-form could grin. "I see ya' met the big man, the crane-truck-dozer himself!"

Devastator suppressed an annoyed growl. Though the Apprentice was competent, certainly, he was far too casual out of combat for Devastator's liking. A chosen Apprentice of the Prime should always be ready to give orders, serve the Prime and prepare for battles, not greeting little humans (Devastator ignored the fact that he was also greeting little humans)

Plus those nicknames were kind of annoying. No offence to the Apprentice.

_"So, Devastator." _Jazz's voice rang in his mind, as the Solstice's physical voice spoke to the humans. _"How do you like Major Lennox's family?"_

_'The female can be paranoid, yet is confident and resilient. Approvable traits, though she is disobedient to the male occasionally. As her superior, she should obey his decisions.' _The combiner replied coolly.

Jazz shrugged: _"Humans don't work like we do, Devastator. You gotta respect that."_

Devastator huffed: _'It is of no surprise that their species faces such self-inflicted problems, then.'_

The Pontiac chose to ignore that comment and moved on: _"And lil' Annie? What do you think about her, big guy?"_

The combiner hesitated, turning his gaze onto the tiny creature, so small, so new, so young. His lifetime dwarfs hers by millennia upon millennia. It is a strange thing to think of, certainly, but he gives his answer: _"She is a small thing, but I sense potential in her. She will make a good servant of the Prime."_

Jazz chuckled: _"Devastator, you gotta open your mind up sometimes, think outside the box."_

_'And what is that supposed to mean, Apprentice?' _The combiner grunted, annoyed by the lack of agreement to serving the Master, turning his huge head to glare at the Pontiac.

The silver car merely shrugged and grinned slightly. _"Means whatever you want it to mean, big guy. We'll see you later. You just relax now, okay?"_

_'I obey'_

With that, the combiner settled back down into a lying position, his systems dimming back into a light recharge as the humans went with Jazz, most likely to visit young Tatyana and such. Perhaps they'll come back to see him, and he can get to know the Major's mate and spawn. That would nice, and the Prime would certainly approve.

He muses once more on young Annabelle, the little being he just met. It was interesting meeting her. The humans are young by his standards, but she is but a blip of existence in this vast universe. Yet already she shows potential, with that childish energy of hers, ready to develop into productive power as she grows older and learns more of this world.

And her childish lack of fear when faced with the titan. Impressive, but a shame that she will eventually grow out of it as her mind develops the ability to see danger where it lies. If only humans kept that lack of fear. Perhaps there would be more trust amongst their kind if fear did not tell them of betrayal and false cruelties.

Regardless, he likes the little one. Perhaps she can grow up to be a close comrade of the combiner, maybe even a friend. That would be nice. So long as the girl remembers one thing:

Everyone on this island obeyed the Prime. The Autobots, the humans, Devastator. They served the Prime. And if that girl did not grow up into a loyal servant of the Prime, then that made her a traitor to the Prime, since everyone must serve the Master. The Prime is everything.

So, if she didn't grow up into the Prime's newest human servant, then she would grow up to be a pile of pulp under Devastator's fist.

Regardless, she seemed like a nice girl, for a young one. Devastator could grow to like her easily.

**Author's Notes: So, Devastator meets Annabelle. How lovely! :D**

**Originally, I had intended that maybe Devastator could hang out with Annie, maybe even play with her or something, but then of course, it ended up turning into mere musing over her and Sarah, since Devastator wouldn't want to play considering his recent paranoia due to the Decepticons and Soundwave's chat. You got to give him credit; He's building defences out of pieces of his own body. That's dedication XD**

**However, more darkly, it turned into another show of Devastator's zealous attitude. If Annabelle doesn't grow up to serve Optimus like everyone else on Diego Garcia, then Devastator would kill her just as he had intended to kill Sam and the others. Geez, he really needs to take Jazz's advice and just lighten up some, and learn that people have their own wills outside of Optimus. **

**But I suppose you can blame Fallen for this zealous attitude, since he would definitely order Devastator to kill anyone who didn't serve him, and Devastator clearly has retained that aspect. Optimus is gonna have to keep a close eye on the colossus...**

**However, don't worry. So long as Annie is a good guy who does as she's told, Devastator won't have a single problem, and they'll be best friends! Though, keep this in mind, certain people thinking of writing a spin-off of this series; Obedience keeps Devastator from killing you...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: Today's chapter is per request from my good pal, Tatyana Witwicky, whom blackmailed me- I mean, wishes for Devastator to interact with the girl herself and the two kids of hers, Sparrow and Techno. Hooray! :D**

**Enjoy this chapter, viewers :D**

Diego Garcia was renowned for three things, according to the Master, Optimus Prime. Devastator is highly aware of the first gift to the island; It's natural serene beauty, with clear skies, blue seas, sandy beaches and bright forests. Devastator is quite fond of the occasional tropical storms that frequent the island, impressed by Nature's power as it were. Which leads to the second thing Diego Garcia is known for; It's security. No storm has breached NEST, no Decepticons succeeded at defeating the island stronghold and nothing got past the might of Devastator!

But, natural beauty and island strength aside, there was the third thing this place, the headquarters of NEST, was very much renowned for:

The unspeakably odd antics of the young Prime Hybrid, the daughter of Optimus himself, Tatyana Witwicky (or Prime. Devastator does not care much for the other surname)

Why, just this morning, was Devastator treated to the optic-ridge raising sight of the silver blade, Sideswipe, running around, screaming at the top of his lungs, metaphorically, his once pristine silver bodywork now littered with pink and purple sparkles, which the Internet designates as glitter. And of course, young Tatyana, or Tai, as others knew her as, was the one to perform this 'prank' an act against someone else for the sake of humour.

This is not the only example of the 'randomness' that the young Prime daughter had displayed. From forcing Ex-Decepticon Barricade to listen to Japanese pop songs and the supposedly infamous 'Caramelldansen' (A secret habit of Ratchet's, oddly enough) to putting stickers stating: 'Zombies eat brains. If that is true, then I am safe' on the black cannon, Ironhide, and even performing upon Sam Witwicky the human act designated as 'wedgie'

Sigh. To think that such a fun-loving and carefree creature is the Prime's daughter. Certainly, she can be serious when the situation requires it, but Devastator cannot help but flinch at the idea of ending up as her servant if the Prime stood down from his title. It would be assumedly hilarious, but flinch-worthy nonetheless. Devastator wished she were more like him; Serious, more obedient and far more tactical in defending the island. Sometimes, it astounded him how Jazz, the Apprentice of the Prime himself, chose that young girl over another femme, like Chromia or Arcee. His choice, sure, but... but...

But she has her worth, definitely. A brilliant intelligence agent for NEST, relaxed and competent even in battle, and able to better speak with humans, due to her hybrid nature. Admittedly, despite what he may doubt about her, the combiner knows that the girl could certainly step up as a great Prime in her own right, despite being half-human and... random. Devastator can respect her.

Sure, she can do good, Devastator decides, and certainly so at raising young ones, as the girl's two sparklings prove.

Young Sparrow is not of Prime descent, merely adopted by the Hybrid after the infamous battle of Mission City, the site of the Allspark's death, a small femme with the alternate form of a human entertainment device regarded as the Xbox 360. He rarely sees her, and he has never seen the other child, the son of Tai and Jazz, a young mech named Techno. He has heard of them from the cheerful techorganic, but only in passing has he seen the young femme, whom never noticed him. Techno is only a mere developing signature that the combiner hasn't seen in person, as aforementioned.

One day, though, that changed, starting with a conversation between Tatyana Witwicky and her father, the great Optimus Prime, as they walked along one of the runways (No planes, thankfully), on the route of Devastator's patrol. Currently, the duo's conversation was like this:

"Dad, I dunno." Tai murmured warily, holding Sparrow and Techno in her arms protectively, the sparklings chirping cheerfully, ignorant of what the elders were speaking of. "Introducing Sparrow and Techno to Devastator? I like the big guy and all, and I trust your judgement and all, but after what happened to Bumblebee, I don't think that-"

"Calm down, Tatyana." Optimus replied regally, blue optics flashing in the sunlight. "Devastator is aware that Sparrow and Techno are not the enemy. They are young and small, no threat at all, especially not to him. Besides, it is Cybertronian Law: No sparklings may be harmed, and not even Devastator would breach that law."

Tai flinched at that, but she nevertheless nodded and, reluctantly, set Sparrow and Techno down on the ground gently, the former giggling and the latter sitting on the ground and staring at nothing, before the techorganic cooed: "Hey, Sparrow? Techno? Granddad is gonna show you a new friend! A very big friend, admittedly, but a friend nonetheless. He's not gonna hurt you, alright?"

Sparrow nodded and chirped in agreement, Techno merely squeaking slightly, just as the tell-tale rumbling of the ground happened. Rumble after rumble, a sure sign of something big, Sparrow chirped excitedly at the small quakes, skipping over to Optimus, Techno merely ignoring the shaking of the ground, when suddenly, the most massive thing either of the little ones had ever seen appeared from behind a hangar. Sparrow gazed in complete and utter shock (Techno staring at nothing) as the largest and biggest ever moved over to the quartet, with huge yellow arms that ended in thick claws, and a big red body brimming with might, and thick legs that shook the ground with each step and a massive armoured head complete with savage jaws that could bite Uncle 'Cade in half.

And the huge monster, it's attention first directed at Granddad Prime, then stared at her and her sibling with sharp green optics, exactly the same colour as her own optics.

And Sparrow squealed with amazement, causing Techno, Tai and even the massive thing to flinch slightly at the noise, before the sparkling started yelping excitedly: "Mama! Mama! Look! the big thingy has green optics like Sparrow!"

Not the sight Devastator had expected to see on his morning patrol, this tiny little thing squealing loudly enough to hiss at his audio sensors, which already suffered form the everlasting agony that cursed his body. However, he regained his wit and moved his head down to scan the two little things before him. Scanners confirmed both beings as sparklings, one of which being the Xbox femme named Sparrow, adopted daughter of the Prime Hybrid and the apprentice, and the other giving off that iconic Prime signature. The combiner deduces that the second one, the mech, is young Techno, birth-child of the Apprentice and his mate, and third-in-line to the Prime Heritage.

The femme seemed excited over the similarity of colours between their optics for some odd reason, despite the fact that his optics are three shades darker then hers. In her defence, though, he doubts her scanners are advanced enough to pick that up just yet. The other sparkling has the classic blue optics of an Autobot, and Devastator rumbles softly as he leans in for a closer look at these two tiny things, barely smaller then his optics.

Young Tatyana seemed slightly worried, but that is understandable. Devastator is, after all, far larger then her, and her children, and the Prime. Larger then all the Autobots put together, in fact. But the Prime is a reassuring beacon, and the girl states cheerfully: "Devastator, may I formerly introduce you to Sparrow and Techno, my most adorable little children!"

Devastator rumbles in response, earning awed squeaks from the little sparklings, and he leans in still closer, almost to the point that his jaws could touch them. Amazing, the lack of fear they show in face of him, much like that young Annabelle. They simply do not comprehend the utter threat he could pose to them if he wished. But that was of no matter; He is in the presence of the Prime sparkling, the grandson of Optimus Prime, so to speak, and thus, he is respectful, inclining his head to the little one. For courtesy's sake, he inclines his head to Sparrow as well. Starscream once told him that if you were going to bow to someone, might as well bow to everyone. Basically, just be polite and keep your head down.

Nevertheless, Sparrow giggled and moved forward, reaching up with little arms to pet at Devastator's chin. The combiner remains still, dimming his optics slightly at the nice touch of the little one. Her touch speaks of confidence and trust, and he is admittedly touched by the sparkling already appreciating him. He has had very, very little contact with sparklings, despite his long lifetime, and he is happy that the children of the Prime Hybrid-

Of course; He still needed Techno's approval first. The friendship of the third-in-line to the Prime Heritage is, not to offend, worth far more then the friendship of an adopted Xbox. Sparrow is still nice, though. He can like her.

So, the huge combiner tilted his head slightly closer to Techno, whom stared at him with wide optics, before the little one giggled and started petting at his armour as well. Optimus and Tatyana approve; Devastator can sense their cheerfulness in the sparklings liking of the colossus.

_"Well, Devastator; What do you think of the little ones?" _The Master's voice resounds in his head, and Devastator basks in his Master's calm happiness for a few seconds before answering:

_'They are acceptable, my Master. Worthy of getting to know. I have high confidence in the young Techno growing up to be a worthy Prime. Perhaps I may train him in the ancient ways of the Prime Dynasty, my Master?'_

The great Prime chuckles: _"Perhaps, Devastator. And Sparrow?"_

_'She is friendly, and some may say 'cute'. I personally find her to be a charming individual, though with less importance then-'_

The Master suddenly turns stern, and the combiner flinches as the Prime rebukes that statement: _"Just because Sparrow is not of Prime Lineage does not make her less important to us. You'll do well to remember this fact, Devastator; No-one has to be a Prime to be respected equally."_

_'I apologise, Master... But, nevertheless, she is not of true spark-forged bond to the Apprentice-'_

_"Devastator, she is as much a part of this family as I am. We love her, regardless of parentage, and you should not put her down because of that fact."_

_'I apologise, Master.'_

The Prime's word is law.

Optimus nods, peaceful again now that Devastator is humbled by his declaration, and the combiner leans back towards Sparrow, growling softly in apology for demoting her simply because she was not a true daughter of the Hybrid, as Tai looks from Optimus to Devastator, annoyed by their silent communication. She hasn't fully mastered linking to the combiner yet, most likely due to being... distracted, occasionally, with her pranks on the others.

Devastator suddenly freezes when he feels the little hands of Sparrow dig into his armour, and the young sparkling starts to climb up his face, giggling away. Did she believe that he was a toy of some kind? Did she not realise that he was Devastator, super-weapon of the Cybertronians and servant of the Primes, and not a 'climbing frame?'

Tai snorts with laughter and even the Prime chuckled softly as Sparrow tenaciously scampered over the crimson metal of Devastator's face. The colossus is reminded of that fool Twin performing such an act, but remembers that it is only a sparkling and quickly deletes his decision to shake her off his face, deciding to patiently wait until her 'mother' recalled the little one, being sure to shutter his optics to prevent little hands getting into the wiring; Sure, his optics are as armoured as the rest of him, but it never hurt to be safe, not sorry.

The little one finally clambers upon the top of his cranium, holding onto the protruding metal for support, as she squeals: "Mama! Techno! Sparrow real high!"

"Yeah, you are!" The girl replied, laughing, and Devastator hasn't a clue why someone would laugh at their child upon the head of a dangerous monster like him.

Then again, logic doesn't seem to apply on this planet.

The little femme giggled, patting Devastator's head as he rumbled softly, and squeaked: "Big guy has kitty ears!"

"He does indeed." Optimus Prime chuckles, as Tai and Techno giggle at the laughing Xbox 360 upon Devastator's head, and the titan narrows his optics slightly, and he grumbles:

_'I look nothing like the spawn of a feline.'_

_"Indulge them, Devastator. They are young, and believe in fun and laughter." _The Prime replies, humour in his tone. _ "Just relax and enjoy their company."_

_'I obey.'_

With that said, Devastator lies down upon the ground, curling up his arms and legs to rest comfortably upon the ground, ignoring the ever constant pain of his. Never mind.

He has to admit, it was oddly nice to have the little sparklings here before him. They show him hope for the survival of Cybertronian kind, showing the Universe that they will survive by producing these two small beings. Devastator hopes that perhaps Tai, and the Triplets, will continue to spawn more younglings, which may mate with each other and build up the Autobot forces and the species as a whole. But of course, petty emotions seem to be in the way, as the Triplets seem to want a designated mate before having young. Why would they slow down the process with mere choice? It makes no sense to Devastator. Surely, the production of young ones would be of the highest priority, second only to guarding Diego Garcia.

Oh well, it will come in due time, hopefully.

Devastator sighs softly, his optic registering the little Sparrow peering into it, the sparkling giggling away for some inexplicable reason. Devastator merely shutters his optics once, in a 'blink' gesture, before rumbling softly.

Despite everything, the combiner figures that at least the sparklings are cute.

Not that he'd ever mention it to anyone other then the Prime, of course.

**Author's Notes: Aw, Devastator's lightened up some, but he's still as blunt and logical as ever. Silly combiner, femmes don't want to serve as mere spawn points; They have lives of their own to live. Who's willing to bet if Devastator will ever change his views from annoyance at people's choices for themselves to understanding the right to chose? **

**But hey, at least he likes the kids. That's a start, right? Maybe there is hope for the big guy :D**

**Another note, it seemed quite a few people were disturbed by Devastator's "Serve or be Killed" mantra, but let's face it, Devastator is NOT some happy Autobot who'll love you and all that crap, or some repentant 'Con who wants to change. He's an entity that believes solely in the Prime, and thinks nothing of free will and such. After all, remember what happened to Bumblebee? The poor guy only brought his friends with him, yet the combiner went ballistic. **

**Put simply, all you lot, if you're thinking of trying to teach Devastator to change his tone anytime soon, you're gonna need a heck of a lot of patience. And life insurance.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Today's chapter contains a reference to Miss Crazy about Fanfic's OC, Peaches, in thanks to those two lovely spin-offs she wrote for my humble self, as well as Devastator musing on stuff, as he often does.**

**Enjoy!**

_'Master, surely you jest!' _Devastator protested, wishing he were in his robotic form, so he could try and persuade his Master to relinquish him from such a task by using a patented method known as the 'Puppy-Dog-Eyes'. Alas, he was only a cement truck before the Prime, the rest of his components patrolling the beautiful island of Diego Garcia on another glorious sunny day.

Normally, Devastator would never disobey, and he wouldn't. He wouldn't even think of pleading to the Prime not to force him to perform a task. But this task caused him more horror then the ever-lasting pain that ripped through his robotic form.

Today, the great combiner, mightiest of all Cybertronians, loyal servant of the Primes, was faced with a terrible task;

Don't try to humiliate the annoying jerk human Galloway like he did before.

_"I am serious, Devastator." _Optimus chuckled, kneeling down before the grumbling black truck to pat at the hood gently, his tone light, yet it held an undertone with seriousness, as aforementioned. "_Galloway is here to discuss important matters with myself and Lennox. I would urge you not to antagonise him for the duration of his visit."_

_'He is a pathetic worthless specimen of a fleshling.'_ Devastator grunted. _'He goes against your word constantly. It pains me to watch those beneath you try to disobey you, Prime.'_

_"I respect Galloway as a sentient being capable of making his own choices in life." _Optimus remarked, frowning slightly. _"Even if I do not like him, I still grant him the honour of my listening and respect, because a good leader listens to everyone, even those others consider beneath them."_

_'I understand, Master, and I obey your orders.' _Devastator grumbled softly, the combiner resigned to not trying to eat the fool's car again. _'But surely, respect is to be earned, not given. I do not question you, great Prime. I merely wish to understand why you tolerate such a foolish disobedient fool.'_

_"Humans are only a young species, Devastator." _Optimus pointed out. _"They do not understand things as we do. But there are humans worth listening, worthy of our respect. We work with all humans for the sake of those few humans. If we cannot bring ourselves to tolerate an entire race, then we Autobots are no better then the Decepticons."_

The cement truck flashed his headlights slightly in understanding. _'Very well, great Optimus Prime. Your word is law, and I obey. I shall return to my patrols.'_

_"Thank you for listening, Devastator. And don't eat Galloway's car."_

The order is stated lightly, like a joke, and Devastator rumbles with humour, pleased that his Master is in a good mood despite the titan's constant questioning, and he replies:

_'I obey.'_

As the cement truck drives away from his Master to sidle up next to the slower bulldozer that forms his left hand, the combiner muses on what the Prime has told him: One must tolerant everyone for the sake of the people they truly admire. It is the mark of a good leader and a good person, to try and cooperate with those they may not like for the sake of well-being. Devastator could admire that about his Master. Despite his regal status as the Prime, he was willing to work with those far beneath him. If only the humans could understand the true honour of being with the Prime...

Another matter arises in his mind, brought on by the recent argument with the young Autobot Pretender, a femme named Peaches. She had accused him of being nothing more then a self-centred, narrow-minded fool, never thinking once for others except for Optimus, always limiting his mind and attacking anything that didn't agree with him.

Young Bumblebee was a good example.

But nevertheless, Devastator shakes the thick arm of his excavator piece. Why doesn't anyone understand? His life, his sole function, is to serve the Prime. Why is everything always wishing he would stop being who he is? Why should he change from what he has always been just to fit in the image of some Autobots and fleshlings? His life is to the Prime, and that is that. He attacked Bumblebee because he thought Bumblebee had been a traitor. It had been a mistake, simple as.

Yet still, humans and some Autobots, such as Sideswipe, Ironhide and Jazz, believe that that is not the right mind to have. The think that he should think for himself, to stop being so defensive, so much like a slave, to live by his own wishes and understand the joys of free will.

Bah. Free Will is nothing to him. Why should he live by his own rules in life? He doesn't need to. He serves the Prime and that is that. Why can't they just understand that? Why can't they understand that the combiner is truly happy with being the Prime's servant, happy with performing every task and following every order.

In a twist of ironic thinking, Devastator muses on something that his mind rarely expands on; His power. He is easily the strongest and deadliest of all Cybertronians. His size is amazing, his power is unmatched, and his weaponry and defence systems are brilliant. That rail-gun had taken him off guard, as he had diverted power from his defences to fuel his clearing of the Pyramid, but were he ready for it, it would take a hundred of those measly projectiles to damage him.

If he had free will, Devastator knows that power will get to him, and he would kill everyone on this island to assert his strength. His mind is simply too primal and brutish to safely think for itself. So long as the Prime is there, ordering him and thinking for him, Devastator is safe, a metaphorical puppy on a leash. If his own will took control, however, well...

He'd see just how much his little friends appreciated free will when he destroyed this world.

The cement truck shakes slightly as his mind deletes the thinking. No, the Prime is everything, and no amount of begging from the humans or Autobots will ever change that. Young Peaches should understand this, that this is Devastator's life, and he would never change it for anything.

Not even the Prime can stop Devastator from serving the Prime.

But he wishes the Prime wouldn't stop him eating the jerk's car.

**Author's Notes: Quite short, this chapter is.**

**Well, another look into Devastator's way of thinking, and it's interesting. Poor chap is feeling pressurised by everyone wishing he'd stop thinking like a mere tool and just do things his way. Aw, leave the guy alone.**

**But as Devastator points out, if he did things his way, then his supreme power would get to him, and he'd take over the World. There's a downside to Free will, after all. Thank the Allspark that Optimus has him under control :D**

**So, here's a question for all you viewers reading this; What's your opinions on all of Devastator's thoughts? Do you think he raises good points, and should remain as Optimus' ever faithful servant, or do you think he's just being paranoid about free will, and he deserves his own choices? Or are you just glad that Optimus keeps him on a tight leash? Hell, do you wish you were a Prime, so you could have Devastator do everything you wanted? XD**

**Remembers, requests are appreciated. If you want Devastator to do something, or maybe interact with an OC of yours, like Tai and Miss Crazy, feel free to ask me, Soundwave 0107 :D**


	12. Chapter 12: Valentine Day special

**Author's Notes: Valentines day! Hooray! (Actually, it's way past V Day. I'm lazy)**

**...**

**Just kidding, I'm single, so I'm gonna go cry now.**

**Anyway, enjoy Devastator's antics as he struggles to find out about this lovely holiday.**

Why did the humans have to be so odd?

Surely, being on the wonderful island paradise of Diego Garcia, a handsome habitat dominated by lush blue ocean, and pure skies peppered with the gentle white of clouds, and handsome trees, proud and tall, scattered around the sandy beaches, and the glint of polished metal in the sunlight, was enough of itself to learn how to appreciated natural beauty.

But no, the humans saw fit to add the most disgusting decorations Devastator had ever seen in all of his centuries upon centuries of living.

Peppered throughout the metallic structures of bunkers and hangars and bases were long wrappings of tinsel of a most abominable shade of pink. Few things Devastator hates, but the colour pink and a particular shade of light green are two of them. And let's not forget the pink 'hearts' scattered around, the bi-circular pointed objects wrapped around by little ribbons, creating a most putrid effect that made Devastator wish he had the ability to purge his systems so he wouldn't feel as though sludge were caught in his Vortex Grinder. Why, oh why, did the humans put up these sickening pink heat things?...

The answer came to him in the form of a giggling Tatyana Witwicky, whom spoke to him in a high-pitched and awed voice, as a smiling Jazz stood nearby: "It's Valentines Day, Devastator! The day of love and joy for couples! The day of union and happiness and even more love! YAY!"

"I think he's got it, Tai. C'mon, let's go enjoy ourselves." Jazz purred, shifting into his sleek vehicle mode, which the laughing femme happily jumped into, and with a final wave to the rather stunned combiner, she drove away in her spark-mate, off for some lovely endeavour, no doubt.

So, the combiner looked up this 'Valentine's Day' and discovered this: Apparently, the day was held as a celebration for couples and relationships, regarded as a day of love and peace. Couples were expected to show love and dedication to one another through gifts and acts of the aforementioned love, and it also served as a day of self-contained relaxation for 'single' people. How odd, to have a day based on love, a mere emotion. On Cybertron, the sole holiday was the Allspark Commemoration Ceremony, rather then all the absurd notions that the humans had.

Nevertheless, Devastator decided that he should interact with this Valentine's Day, to learn a bit more about the human holidays and their meanings. Not only would the Prime be pleased by this interest in the human tradition, it also never hurt to try something new, the combiner figured. He could give reason to that statement, since his body was constantly in pain. Despite Ratchet's best efforts, the pain never seemed to go, though it was lessened slightly by the yellow mech's tampering, which was better then nothing at all.

The problem was, who could Devastator indulge in the holiday with? Valentine's Day specified couples engaging in shared activities of love and devotion, so that left the colossus with a problem; Whom to perform such activities with? Well, human culture generally favoured male-female activities (Though most human males had an odd obsession with female-female couplings), so the combiner figured that his best bet was to have one of the femme's help him.

Devastator listed off the femme's he knew of: Tatyana Witwicky, Arcee, Flareup and Chromia. Tai was off the list, since she was with the Apprentice, so that left the Triplets. However, Arcee was currently with Bumblebee, so that excluded her as well. And Devastator knew Chromia would rather perform the act of 'licking' upon Starscream's talons then indulge in a romantic-themed day with the titan.

So, that left Flareup.

Devastator snorted slightly at the irony of that choice. It was clear that Flareup was what the Internet defined as, fittingly enough, 'the village bicycle' a female whom partook in flirtatious, or perhaps sexual, activities with a good number of others, generally male but occasionally female as well. The combiner was more then aware of Flareup's rather flirty attitude; Sideswipe and Barricade often bragged about the smallest hints of flirts that the purple femme sent them, and the amount of times Jolt had suffered a stuttering virus in his vocal components when she flashed him a wink and a sly smile.

It was only fortunate that Arcee and Chromia did not have that attitude.

Nevertheless, Devastator knew that Flareup would help him, the kind femme she was. So, he went off to find her.

It wasn't hard; Valentine's Day had earned her respect, and she was currently wheeling after the large form of Breakaway, speaking happily of love and what-not. The jet seemed highly amused by the bike, preferring to speak back with flirts and purrs. The jet was easily the most amorous mech of the Autobots, and he reminded Devastator of the Decepticon, Grindor. That helicopter had a long history of female conquests, from seducing captive femmes, to picking up a duo or four at a Cybertronian bar.

Anyway, the combiner figured that if he wanted to learn more about Valentine's day from Flareup, he would have to remove the competition. So, he literally muscled in, a thick arm shoving the flyer away, earning a yelp of protest, and his massive head leaned down to face the purple bike, so much smaller then he was.

She mimicked the organic action of blinking in surprise at the combiner's sudden appearance, before grinning and stating: "Hi, Devastator! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Devastator nodded, and allowed the little Cybertronian to affectionately stroke his chin, before she spoke cheerfully: "Let me guess... considering what sweet Jolt did at Christmas for you, I assume you want me to teach you about Valentine's Day?"

The combiner nodded in confirmation, heaving a soft sigh at her gentle touch. Though some perceived this motorbike as 'ditzy', she could be remarkably perceptive sometimes.

The motorbike giggled as Devastator all but purred under her touch, the massive combiner being sure to keep an arm blocking off a grumbling Breakaway from engaging Flareup's attention, before she turned her voice to more important matters: "Alright, Devastator, the first thing of Valentine's Day is to be romantic. You have to show whomever you love and cherish exactly how you feel about them, whether by acts, speech or simple being. You need to let them understand that they really are what you need in life, the thing that keeps you going and happy, the one love you will always have. That is what Valentine's Day is all about. Just you, your partner and love all the way."

This talk coming from a flirt, but then, Devastator wasn't one to complain. This talk may prove to be enlightening and interesting. So, this day was to show love for a partner? How simple, yet effective.

Flareup giggled as the titan nodded in understanding, before stating: "Alright, one of the most basic parts of love is a kiss. A simple physical gesture, if you remember at last Christmas, but to some, it can be so much more. Why don't you try it?"

Ah yes, kissing. A typically organic act of placing the oral sensors, known as lips, together in a passionate gesture. Cybertronians had mimicked the action for millennia, so Devastator knew how to perform one. So, he shrugged and leaned in.

It was only now Flareup remembered something.

"Oh crap, wait, stop!-"

Breakaway, still trying to fight past Devastator's arm to continue talking to Flareup, noted what happened and burst into laughter. Like with Arcee, Devastator had accidentally swallowed the bike, her single leg flailing about on his jaws, the rest of her within the huge maw. The combiner rolled his optics at his mistake, before spitting out the femme, being sure to rumble an apology to her, which she accepted as she, slightly shocked and dazed, got back to her leg.

Well, since the kiss had accomplished nothing (Except of course nearly swallowing a fellow Autobot) Devastator decided to ask his Master about this day, while the femme recovered from being 'kissed' by a being nearly a hundred times her size. With that, the combiner linked to his Master and asked:

_'Great Prime.'_

_"Ah, Devastator. What is it?" _His Master asked, slightly surprised that the combiner was contacting him when there were no jobs for the colossus.

_'The femme, Flareup, is aiding me in learning about the human Valentine's Day. I merely wished to ask for your input, Master.'_

_"Ah, I see." _Optimus replied, chuckling slightly. _"I suppose you wish to know just why humans celebrate the emotion of love so much, and commemorate with a day of its own?"_

_'Yes, Master.'_

_"Very well. To humans, love is a sacred thing. It is an emotion that allows you to feel for others, to care for them, to understand them. Love is what gives you hope, motivation, and it is what lets you form a partnership stronger then any this Universe could ever fathom. However, love does not always give what is due, and it can hurt more then anything. That is a risk that you have to take with this powerful feeling. To have someone love you in return, or not. Such is the nature of this emotion. If it is true, then it is all you can ever need. If not, it can tear you down to nothing. But it is special nonetheless, an emotion more so then any other. To humans, love can influence lives and countries, and Valentine's Day is to celebrate this love."_

The combiner remained silent after the Master's lengthy explanation, the truck knowing of Devastator's musing habits.

So, this love, an emotion Devastator has never felt nor cared for, was a powerful force within human society, something that could influence decisions and lives for better or for worse. It was definitely interesting, but overall, this day had little value to Devastator. He was a being of complete loyalty and servitude, not love and affection. Then again, he has much closer bonds to the Autobots then he had with the Decepticons, so perhaps there was some truth in the theme of this day.

_"Is that helpful to you, Devastator? Or do you require another femme to eat?" _The Master asked, and Devastator sensed the humour in the Prime's second statement, before the colossus replied:

_'That is helpful, Master. I thank you for your wisdom. And I do not require sustenance in the form of a femme, Master.'_

_"Of course not." _The Prime chuckled. _"I shall see you later, Devastator. Try not to get into too much trouble."_

_'I obey.'_

Thus, the combiner shut down his link and returned his attention to Flareup, whom was now telling off Breakaway for laughing at her predicament, the motorbike no longer dazed and disorientated, but currently rather annoyed by the jet's sense of humour.

So, Flareup and the Master had spoken of the same stuff, it seems. Love was powerful and respected enough to earn a holiday of its own. Interesting. But perhaps he should observe love in the flesh, so to speak.

So, the combiner decided to find young Tatyana and Jazz and see how they did it.

It was as easy as making a human food item called a pie to find the love-struck mates; Devastator could track the signal of an Apprentice and a Prime across the universe, never mind a small island, and he soon found the two upon the beach, the Apprentice in vehicle mode, and the Hybrid laying across the hood of the car, both of them clearly watching the beautiful ocean lapping at the beach, the sun lowering itself through the sky, as nightfall would be in three hours, creating a faint orange blur across the sky and sea. It was very beautiful.

Devastator turned his attention to the mates; They weren't doing anything. Simply relaxing on the beach and in each other's presence. Shouldn't they be more active when performing love rituals? Or maybe this relaxing thing was simply another part of the grand scheme of love. Enjoying each other's presence was a content thing, Devastator figured. He deduced that, after all, the best gift on this Valentine's Day was most likely the single attention and affection of the one you love.

The combiner mused on his own status as 'single'. Certainly, some beings on this island might wish for him to have a 'girlfriend', and admittedly, he was quite fond of the Triplets. But love wasn't for him. It never was. His duty, his loyalty, his power, was to the Prime and nothing else.

The Prime was everything.

But at least the Apprentice had love, and the Hybrid as well. They loved each other, and Devastator could hear murmurs of affection, trust and love between the two as they watched nature's beauty indulge their optics.

However, as Devastator lay down on the beach, green optics always watching the love-struck pair, he wondered if, maybe someday, the Prime could gift him with a love, a love all for himself, to truly understand that one glorious emotion. If the Prime commanded it, then Devastator could love it. Maybe someday.

_"I cannot give you a love, so to speak, Devastator." _The Prime messaged him, having been casually watching the combiner via their link, before continuing: _"But I can give you some advice: Love comes in all forms. And right now, I think someone deserves a small love of gratitude from you."_

There was a small smile in the Prime's voice, and Devastator sighed peacefully as he replied:

_'I obey.'_

Until that day, the day when he may find true love, he settled for now sending a small Valentine's message, as the Prime advised, to Flareup, in gratitude for her brief tutelage:

_Some say roses are red._

_Some say violets are blue._

_I certainly believe, that even both together,_

_They cannot compare with you._

_Happy Valentine's Day, from Devastator._

**Author's Notes: Awww, he's such a sweetie.**

**However, don't get all excited for Devastator x Flareup. Remember, he only did it 'cause Prime recommended it. Or maybe he did want to...**

**That's all up to you, viewers ;)**

**Well, I have three requests to get working on: One for Omega Supreme arriving, one for Lightning-Fall's OC and one for... I'll keep number three a secret for now :P**

**Happy late Valentine's Day!**

**Ha, village bicycle. I'm such a genius XD**

**So, now, we have a survey: Who do you think Flareup would go best with?**

**Is it:**

**A: Jolt? (Referred to him as sweet)**

**B: Breakaway? (Followed him around, speaking of love)**

**C: Devastator? (Kissed him)**

**D: Sideswipe/ Barricade? (Flirted with them)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: Hooray, an update! :D**

**Today is per requests from some people, as it features Tatyana Witwicky, Omega Supreme and a certain femme...**

**Enjoy! This one's for you, Tai! :D**

_'He is coming...'_

Devastator narrowed his green optics as he glared angrily at the sky, his left fist idly crushing the ground beneath it. It was a beautiful day on Diego Garcia, but the combiner had no care for something he saw every day, essentially. No, what he wanted was beyond Earth.

Or at least, it was as of now.

Cybertronians were the longest-lived species in the Universe. Age was irrelevant to sentient metal, and with long lives came long histories and memories. In particular, Devastator had a memory before the First War between the Fallen and his brothers, when Cybertron had been glorious. He couldn't deduce the exact details; his previous Master, the Fallen himself, had erased any peaceful thought Devastator had had when the pain had first struck him, to turn him into a monster.

But the combiner remembered something. A being, smaller then him, but still massive, a being that could rival even the great Devastator, a being that he had waged battle with...

And the colossus sensed it, felt it in his spark. That being, the one whom the faint memories recalled as a warrior that challenged the combiner, was coming to Earth. Excellent. If his tampered memory served him right, the combiner had a score to settle with this challenger.

Eagerly awaiting the battle that was sure to come, the combiner turned and made his way to the hangars, to inform his Master of this new development, the soft sand of the beach drifting from his massive feet and hands as he stomped up the way, green optics flashing as he contemplated strategy against the oncoming threat. He knew he had the humans and the Autobots to back him up, and he knew he was the most powerful Cybertronian to exist. Definitely, this was a battle he would win, and even if he lost, his Prime would finish off the foe.

A win/win situation, certainly. And for the honour of the Prime, he would crush this foe like the pathetic piece of tin it was, no matter the-

"DEVASTATOR!"

-cost...

The excited feminine squeal rang in Devastator's audio sensors and the mighty beast groaned as the ever-lasting pain hissed angrily in response, before he turned his massive head to see the tiny form of Sparrow, followed by Bumblebee.

Ah.

Now, Devastator was eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the challenger his spark was detecting, eagerly awaiting a glorious fight to the finish. But it was now he realised exactly what was at stake.

What if Sparrow, or one of the other innocent young ones, were hurt by the carnage? What if someone died in this battle, killed by a stray missile or laser? What if this foe was somehow so powerful, not even Devastator could stop it?

No. That was impossible. Devastator's memory was corrupted, but it still told him that he had fought this thing before, and he was obviously alive to think about it. He'd win this fight. But the impact of collateral damage was high.

The little X-box had reached the combiner by this point, and he lowered his massive head so that she could happily clamber onto his crimson jaw, as Bumblebee, twittering cheerfully, meandered over and patted the titan on the forehead. Devastator growled softly, enjoying the feel of reassuring metal against his pained armour, as the little femme attached herself to the ridges around a green optic and merely lay there, cooing, content to be warmed by the soft heat and light emitted from the giant's external optical system.

What if this oncoming battle got these two, or anyone else, killed?

Would he forgive himself if he gave his enemy that fatal chance?

No. He would crush this foe before they even set foot on the island. Simple as that.

Devastator rumbled again, louder this time, and Bumblebee seemed to read his thoughts. With a farewell twitter, the Camaro pulled the little X-box off the combiner and moved off, young Sparrow whining for her massive friend back, but Devastator ignored it and moved on, his link reaching out to the Prime:

_'Master, I beg your attention.'_

_"What for, Devastator?"_

_'I have... a feeling. That something, a foe, is coming to the island. Soon.'_

_"Are you sure?" _

The Prime's voice was more serious now, no longer as curious as his first sentence, clearly taking the combiner's words seriously. Devastator never lied, especially not to his Master.

_'Certain of it, my liege.'_

_"Hmmm... perhaps it is one of the two Autobots on their way to Earth."_

This statement took the combiner off-guard. What? This foe he sensed was a loyal servant of the Prime?

_'An Autobot? Master, surely, you jest-'_

_"I am not. We received the transmission but a day ago. Two Autobots are on their way. One of them has quite a connection to myself. The other... the other is the one you're sensing, I believe."_

_'So... I am not allowed to destroy him?'_

A chuckle: _"Sadly, you are not allowed to destroy him. Just be social."_

_'I obey.'_

So, the threat was not a threat? Devastator found that hard to believe. But then, the Prime's word was law. And at least the arrival and the other one were not hostile. But rest assured, if the foe whom the combiner could sense attacked him, then he would fight back. The Prime forbade destruction, but self-defence was completely acceptable.

So, his previous worries of collateral damage lost, the combiner made for the forest to have a light recharge. He'd better be ready when the new arrivals arrived.

**One week later**

The time was at hand. They were nearly here.

Devastator stood upon the beach, the waves lapping against the massive hands placed near their domain, and his massive head was craned upwards to glare at the sky. His scanners were working at full capacity, trying to find the two specks that would signal the arrival of the two new Autobots. However, he somewhat doubted he'd spot them here. He may as well return to the hangars. So, which a grumble, he turned round and moved off towards the base.

Of course, there was much excitement around the base, that much was certain. Before coming to the beach to muse, he had observed humans running around, shouting stuff such as "bring in some vehicle modes!" and "Prepare a new hangar!"

Well, they were getting ready in their own way, but Devastator preferred to have all of his turrets prepped for fire, in case it was a trick or betrayal. Just in case.

As the Autobots excitedly chattered amongst themselves, Devastator sought out his Master, for some extra information on the new arrivals, one of which being the foe from Devastator's rotted memory. He found his Prime standing by a hangar, staring into the bright blue sky. The combiner often found the truck here engaging in idle contemplation, when he wasn't busy, but today, he sensed raw feeling from his Master; a sense of happiness and joy that defied all emotional boundaries. Unusual, yet interesting.

_'Master. You seem uplifted' _Devastator noted, the combiner himself feeling happier at his Master's good feelings. If it pleased the Prime, it pleased Devastator.

"Indeed, Devastator." Optimus chuckled, speaking out-loud, raising a hand to stroke at the massive crimson head. "I am certainly happy. One of the Autobots coming down to us is someone very, very special to me, and Tatyana."  
_  
'Who is it, Master?'_ Devastator asked quickly, suddenly feeling a slight anxiety. Whom could be so special to the Prime and the Hybrid? Was it a servant even more faithful then Devastator? The combiner wasn't sure if he could cope with that-

"Have no fear, Devastator, it is not what you think." Prime laughed, sensing Devastator's nervousness, the combiner relaxing upon hearing this. "She is someone who means the Universe to me, and I intend to give Tai a most wonderful surprise."  
_  
'A surprise? For what purpose, Master? Who exactly is coming down?'_ The combiner asked, tilting his head. What if this special femme was the foe Devastator sensed? The being he-

"You'll see." Optimus chuckled softly. "Right now, I need you to keep Tatyana busy until our new guest is ready to meet her. I will come to you when it is time to reveal the surprise."

_'I obey'_

The Prime's word was law. Devastator would not question.

With a respectful nod, Devastator turned and stomped off in search to Tai, to perform the keeping busy until the new Autobots arrived. He idly wondered who the special one could be.

Hopefully not the foe.

With advanced scanners like his, the combiner found the young hybrid in no time at all; the girl was sitting in the recreational room, playing an instrument that was very small and somewhat silly looking, with a brightly coloured organic plant known as a flower painted on the front of it. She seemed deep in concentration as she plucked at the strings on the small wooden instrument, creating a silly little song that made Techno, who was sitting on the floor at the hybrids feet playing with a set of blocks, giggle happily.

"Like that, huh?" She fondly asked her sparkling, who was now chewing on the toy contently. "Honey...don't chew on that..." She reached down with her Cybertronian hand and gently pushed the block out of his mouth. "Goofy child."

Looking up when she felt the room rumble, she smiled at the sight of the massive being outside the hangar, green optics peering in, and she stated happily: "Hey, big Hoover thing!"

Devastator didn't like being referred to as a cleaning device, but for the Hybrid's sake, he would endure. Instead, he merely rumbled softly in greeting, and pushed his massive head through the large door, so the hybrid could reach up and stroke at the heavy armour. The soft touch of humans was always quite nice to the combiner.

The colossus then turned his attention to little Techno, whom stared at him with awestruck optics, before giggling wildly. The combiner inwardly smirked. He was very popular with children, apparently, despite his massive size and grave reputation as a savage monster. Nevertheless, he turned his head back to Tai, his neck creaking in pain, and linked to her:  
_  
'Young Prime, what was that song you were playing for the youngling?'_ Devastator, his audio having picked the rather cheerful tune when he had arrived. Curiosity was a feeling he was quite used to by now, what with all the oddities that humans had.

"Oh, that was just some random notes I played." The girl giggled, watching with amusement as Techno started to make a little tower out of the bricks he had. "Want me to play some more?"

A good chance to keep the girl busy, at least.

_'Certainly, young Hybrid.' _Devastator replied gently, his massive body slumping to the ground as he lay down gently, green optics dimming in contentment as Tai, grinning, picked up the little instrument and promptly started playing a happy and cheerful tune. The music weaved through Devastator's audio; It created pain, as always, but there was a nice ring to it that the combiner liked. For all their odd little habits, humans had some taste in sound. Especially half-Cybertronian ones.  
_  
'That is quite a good tune, so to speak'_ The combiner rumbled softly, figuring that he could enjoy keeping people busy.

"Aw, thanks, big guy." Tai giggled, though there was a slight curiosity in her tone. "Never though I'd hear you of all bots complimenting my music."

The combiner shrugged as Techno swayed from side to side with the music, before stating something that Ratchet had once told him: _'Some things are worth listening to. Some things are sung from the spark...'_

She then gave him an odd look at that statement; she had never took Devastator for being a music lover (Workaholic was the best way to describe him) and it was somewhat surprising that he was paying her such attention.

"Where did that come from? Not that I'm complaining..." She mumbled to herself, before she shrugged and went back to strumming the strings on her small instrument. Techno, bored with the blocks by this point, cooed softly, before he got up and toddled over to his mother and, with surprising speed for one of his age, crawled into her lap, content to be close to his mother's spark.

_'Where is young Sparrow?'_ Devastator suddenly asked. He had only just noticed that she hadn't tackled his jaw in a hug or had squealed in excitement. An odd habit, but tolerable.

"With Jazz on the other side of the island." Tai said, planting a kiss on her sparklings small head, causing him to giggle and coo and click happily. "She is a Daddy's girl after all!"

Devastator nodded in agreement, fully understanding what that term meant by this point. He had also noticed that about young Tatyana and his Master, but given that young Tatyana grew up without any sort of mother figure in her life (And thanks to Soundwave, lacking a human father as well), he supposed it was only natural that she seek attention from her only surviving parent

Devastator heaved a sigh, a small human habit, as he observed the femme with her sparkling. Such a hard life, after the obvious damage that Soundwave inflicted with the murders of her human father and the Autobot Blurr, yet she persevered, remained strong, and remained loyal to her wonderful family. She had her children and spark-mate now, and Devastator had to be honest, he was happy to be a part of the young girl's life.

The Prime was everything, but his daughter wasn't so bad herself.

Tai continued murmuring to her giggling sparkling, when Devastator suddenly felt Optimus speak to him through their link and perked up in attention: _"She is nearly here, Devastator. Kindly move Tai down to the beach. I want them to see each other in a place of beauty. And can you also make sure it is only you and her alone? This a special moment for the Prime lineage."  
_  
Devastator was understandably curious about this, this thing that was so special (Hopefully not the foe) to the Prime lineage, but he nevertheless replied:_ 'I obey. ETA of femme?"_  
_  
"Five minutes. Move fast, Devastator."_

_'I obey.'_

With that, the combiner disconnected form the Prime, and promptly linked to the girl, while simultaneously messaging Ratchet to pick up Techno, which the Hummer agreed to: _'Young Hybrid, Ratchet is to take Techno for a quick medical exam, if you please. While we wait for him to complete the exam, you and I can perhaps go to the beach.'_

Tai glanced at Devastator, again surprised at this sudden social behaviour from the typically I-only-like-Optimus combiner, but she nodded and smiled, replying: "Sure, big guy. Wow, you're awfully nice today. Did you 'kiss' Flareup again?"

The girl laughed as Devastator rumbled in annoyance, just as the sounds of a Hummer registered in their audio, as Ratchet drove up and transformed. Grinning knowingly at the combiner, the medic, with a few quick words to the girl, picked up Techno and carried him off, the sparkling cooing cheerfully and waving goodbye to his mother, and Tai promptly got up and followed the combiner as he as well got up and walked off, shaking his head at the constant upbringing of his failures in oral contact with the smaller femmes.

He sensed the foe growing ever closer, from the sky above; So, it wasn't on Earth yet, meaning it wasn't the femme Prime spoke of. Good.

Regardless, the duo walked down to the beach, Devastator moving slow so Tai could keep up with his massive limbs, the girl cheerfully jabbering to the combiner, whom listened to her politely, as he scanned for the signature of his master. The Prime was nearby, but hiding from the girl, clearly ready to surprise her. The combiner could scan another being as well; the femme.

Could it be that this femme might be... Optimus Prime's spark-mate? Was that why he was so happy recently? The mate of a Prime was here?...

Devastator could imagine that this was going to be interesting.

Tai, of course, was unaware. She did not possess Devastator's close-link to the Prime, nor his supremely advanced sensors. Instead, she just plopped herself down by the water's edge, sighing contently at the beauty of nature before her, before she began humming the tune to some human song. Diego Garcia was a wonderful place, definitely, a place of temperate wonder, blue sky and sea and a strong military presence.

Luckily for the Prime's plan, Devastator's distraction of the hybrid meant the special-perhaps-a-spark-mate-femme had arrived without the girl noticing, giving him time and surprise for preparation. However, by no means was Tatyana completely oblivious, and her own scanners were soon picking up the moving-closer signatures of her father and... someone else, an Autobot, a newbie.

Jumping up as though shocked, Tai squealed: "Oh wow! A new Autobot showed and no-one told me? I gotta see this!"

With that, the girl turned and moved up the beach, but the combiner knew he had to allow his Master to make the first move, and thus moved a massive arm to block Tai's path. Understandably, the girl stopped in shock, before she got indignant and snapped: "Hey! Devastator, what are you doing? Move aside! I wanna see the newbie!"

_'The Prime is en-route and will introduce you within the space of two Earth minutes.' _The combiner grunted in reply. Tai seemed ready to bite out some kind of retort, before both of them stilled suddenly when Tai's spark suddenly heaved with some kind of emotion. Devastator felt it as Tai gasped slightly in slight surprise. Some kind of soft feeling was coursing through the girl, through the combiner's link, something gentle, peaceful, like how a baby feels in the loving grasp of its mother (Not that Devastator would know anything about that)

Tai rubbed her chest in confusion as the strange soft motherly feeling continued to soothe her spark. She'd felt such feelings herself when around Sparrow and Techno, but to have them on herself... Was this some kind of weird drug by the Hatchet?

As the techorganic mused on this, Devastator slowly backed away as he felt the Master's signature approach their position, accompanied by a less powerful but warming presence, something that soothed at his eternal pain, and he backed away to stand behind Tatyana, bowing his head in respect. The femme...

Tai was quick to responded in a similar manner, bracing herself for a visit; she knew that her father had to be coming, for Devastator never backed off from anything other then the Prime, but who was he bringing? It had to be a femme, but...

The motherly feeling seemed to pulsate, as though its owner were giggling.

No way.

Optimus Prime emerged from the foliage of the forest that bordered some of the beach, as proud and regal as ever, with a great happiness flooding from him, filling Tai and Devastator with the happiness of the Prime. Amazing.

"Tatyana. There is someone who wishes to see you... again." The Prime murmured, and stood to the side slightly, as the new visitor emerged from behind him. Devastator was quick to lock green optics on her.

A tall femme, nearly as tall as Optimus, coloured a luscious shade of pink, her body a contrast of angular curves and legs to a smooth torso and a kind motherly face, with gleaming blue optics and a soft smile on mechanised lips. The femme was highly beautiful, almost as regal as the Prime himself, yet she carried an honest air of peace and kindness about her, a kindness that could probably relax Megatron himself.

Devastator was awestruck. Tai was utterly and completely speechless.

And the femme murmured softly: "Oh, Matrix. I've missed you."

Tai felt her spark jump into her throat at that name. Matrix? No one called her that, except her Dad when he was especially angry at her or if she did something somewhat stupid.

Stepping forward, she got a good look at the pink, tall femme. "How do you know that name?" She asked softly, feeling her spark pulsate even harder, this time with excitement and hope and shock.

The femme knelt down and smiled kindly at the techorganic. "I wouldn't expect you to remember me, sweetie. You were only just created when I sent you away."

The combiner noted the femme's quick pick-up of more human-like speaking with that sweetie comment, but he was more interested in Tatyana's response, just as realization hit Tai like a ton of bricks...was this femme...

Elita-1?

But then that would mean she was...

"Mom?" She asked in shock, her human eye and optic feeling with tears

Elita-1 smiled softly, and spread her arms: "Matrix. My daughter."

And the techorganic burst into tears and flung herself with all her might into the femme's arms, wrapping them tightly around pink metal as the armoured arms closed round her in a soft hug, as Optimus and Devastator looked on, the Master feeling so proud, the combiner merely content with all this happiness.

Tatyana could not believe it. Her mother, her Cybertronian mother, her true mother, was here, was alive, was well, was amazing. So long, had she dreamed of a real mother, her own mother, since she was so young. And now, that dream, against all odds, had come true.

Her mother had returned to her.

Tears of joy and utter shock slid down her eyes as Tatyana gloriously wept into her mother, Elita-1 murmuring kind words of reassurance, happiness and gentleness that were taken in by Tai's ears with reverence. Her mother was here, talking to her, telling her she loved her and was so happy to see her, and she just wanted to stay by her mother's spark forever...

Optimus gently leaned in and claimed his beautiful wife in an embrace, while Devastator watched the happy family, feeling all their joy and amazement. Never before had the combiner experienced such... such affection, such bonds. It was amazing.

If his jaws were able to move that way, he would have smiled. Amazing, how this Elita-1 had captured the spark of the great Prime, and had borne a worthy successor in the Hybrid, apparently named Matrix. Fitting.

But then, the combiner remembered something; his foe, the foe he sensed even now.

With silence completely unexpected of the titan, he lumbered off, leaving the happy family to their joy. Devastator could not relate to it, but he could feel the happiness. It was astonishing...

Nevertheless, the foe was so close, almost at the atmosphere. And Devastator was waiting.

It didn't take long.

The combiner had only just reached a deserted part of the island, the rocky outcrop where Ironhide did his target practice, when his scanners picked up a titanic moving form, heading towards the island. The signature was that of an Autobot, but the combiner knew that this thing meant business. Of course, the combiner wondered if engaging this old foe was the best option, considering that the techorganic had only just been reunited with her mother. But if this Autobot wanted to battle, Devastator would strike him down.

And lo and behold, it arrived.

Stealthily activating all nearby turrets, the combiner's green optics glared at the massive flying form of a Cybertronian ship, a giant thing, not as large as the combiner, but still big enough to present a physical threat. The ship is quite blocky, with two massive arm-like struts on the side, a huge cannon at the front and a powerful engine at the back.

The ship slowed down to a hover as it neared the combiner, seemingly regarding him, before transforming, metal sliding over metal as the struts extended into arms, the massive cannon folding down as the chest opened and legs grinded out of the torso and hit the ground as the thruster moved upwards, and massive riggings extended from the giants' back as powerful lasers formed in place of hands and the head slid out.

Well, well. Devastator could remember the record of this bot from Soundwave in his Decepticon days:

Omega Supreme, the most powerful of all Autobots.

The human-like Autobot was taller then his rival, but Devastator was certainly bigger. Nevertheless, the two faced down, giant to giant, and Omega Supreme declared, in a voice that was both emotionless yet angered, an oxymoron, certainly:

"Target identified as Devastator, Decepticon Combiner. Recommendation: Complete termination."

_'You wish.' _Devastator sneered, preparing himself as Omega Supreme slowly charged up weaponry. No further introduction. Just a good brawl to the death. Ah, the combiner missed those days of non-stop lethal warfare sometimes...

"Stop."

Both giants did just that, as the voice of Optimus Prime registered in their audios, turning to face the approaching truck, a look of annoyance on the Prime's face. Devastator hesitated, fearing wrath from his master, while Omega Supreme merely watched stoically as the Prime stopped and glared at them, before continuing:

"I know of your history, Omega Supreme, and your conflicts with Devastator. But there will no battle today. I will brief you now, if you wish, at the hangar. Devastator, resume a patrol until I summon you."

Omega Supreme glared at Devastator as the combiner stated: _'I obey' _and moved off.

To think, he had waited all that time for a mighty battle, and he got nothing at all. Never mind. At least he could see the femme, Elita-1, and see how Tai would handle being with her mother after so long...

Besides, the Prime's word was law.

**Author's Notes: YAY. Sorry for slow updates, but I'm been doing a lot of thinking about Combination: Blue, recently, as well as my school-work with the ever-approaching exams.**

**I think any requests will have to be put on hold for a short time, as my more pessimistic side fears I'm straying from the star of the show, Devastator. So, despite my earlier pleadings for them (I'm such a contrary bastard XD), I have to ask for a lack of requests, until I'm satisfied that Devastator asserts himself again :D The requests were pretty much to help me think of stuff, but my brain's kicked into gear for more Devastator :)**

**Then the requests can get rolling again. I think I still have to do Lighting-Fall's request, another one for Tai and some more expansion with Omega Supreme :D**


	14. Chapter 14

Wonderful.

Devastator heaved a cruel chuckle as the Decepticon drone before him pitifully attempted to crawl away. The deserted desert area was shrouded in the shadows of night-time, light winds blowing about a few grains of sand, as dark-green cacti blearily observed the carnage. Small fires burned the dusty plain, while scorch marks, bits of metal and a dismembered cactus littered the area. It was the sight of a battle, and a rather one-sided one at that.

The titanic combiner, his body riddled with pain, yet filled with rage and triumph, leaned over the injured 'Con, idly grumbling as his green optics observed the stupid enemy try to flee, two more drones groaning in pain a good distance off, their chests dented from where a massive arm had swept them aside. The drone was an idiot, trying to escape the wrath of Devastator. For this, there would be punishment. Oh, sweet glorious punishment for the unworthy.

Like the savage theropods of prehistory, Devastator lunged down and seized the leg of his smaller brethren in his maw, before brutally shaking the screaming 'Con. The combination of the titan's force, along with the 'Cons own weight, was too much for the leg joint, and it tore clean off, the drone hitting the ground hard, another scream cracking out of his vocal processor as pain seared through him, the severed leg leaking energon as Devastator rumbled good-naturedly, before his massive jaws crunched the leg like a mere crisp.

Oh, this was the ultimate pain-killer, the one thing that truly made the combiner feel _well. _Other then serving the Prime, of course.

Well, the pain of others was like a long drink of water in the middle of summer, the sweet touch of a lover, the gentle breeze against a soft strand of grass. Devastator loved it when he hurt people, made them feel the pain he always felt. It made him feel better, to know that he was hurting them just as he was hurting.

And he had waited too long for this. The need to hurt had been wearing on him, and only the Prime's orders had kept it at bay. Devastator greatly respected and admired his Master, but he wished he would copy the Fallen and offer up an occasional sacrifice for the titan to take out his hurt on. Even a little worthless human would make an appropriate chew-toy for the colossus. But alas, Optimus would not allow it. And Devastator obeyed.

The Prime's word was law.

But at least he could hurt these three drones. The best part about Ratchet's fixing was, now that Devastator felt a little less pain nowadays, he could think a little bit more clearly on how to extend the suffering of his prey.

The legless drone had no chance of escape, so Devastator turned his attention on the other two. A massive hand reached out and grabbed one of them, the drone yelling in shock as the massive front-loader hand hauled him up to face-level with the combiner, whom rumbled in amusement as the drone pitifully clawed at the impenetrable fingers. How st-

A flare of pain shot through him as the drone unsheathed a blaster and shot Devastator right in the optic, cracking the green lens with the closeness of the projectile from where it had fired.

Enraged, the combiner's mouth jerked forward, seized the gun-arm, and tore it clean off, his grinders swallowing it down with ease, as the drone screamed in agony. Though the combiner's audios hissed at the sound, he nevertheless the thrill of pain, and he revelled in it. But of course, he did not forgive any resistance to his will.

And his hand began to squeeze.

The third drone watched with horror as his comrade's armour cracked under supreme pressure, Energon blurting out of torn pipes as the drone pitifully wheezed out a faint "Help...", before his head burst off in a blast of blue fluid and sparks, his body cracking to pieces under the crushing grip, and the third drone flinched as bits of metal and Energon splattered all over him, as the combiner chuckled cruelly and tossed aside the crushed body, before moving onto his next prey.

The combiner's tongue extended from his mouth, and the shovel-like tip of the metal appendage broke into several blades, like some kind of fork, and the titan licked the Decepticon, whom screamed in agony as the rake-like tongue tore at the armour, ripping it up bit by bit. Devastator let out another sadistic chuckle, before stabbing his tongue through the drone's torso, cutting it in half and earning yet more pain for him to revel in.

The third drone didn't last long after that.

Satisfied with the deaths of the two, Devastator finally turned his attention back to his first victim, whom was again trying to crawl away, the stump of his severed leg leaking Energon profusely. The combiner observed his prey, before idly picking up the body of one of the drone and popped it into his mouth, grinders chewing up the corpse with ease, then moving after the final drone.

Devastator watched him crawl away, before lifting a massive hand over the trail of leaked Energon, and he snapped his claw-like fingers, creating a single spark that floated down, before it hit the trail of Energon. Which ignited into fire.

The combiner heaved a gruelling laugh, grinders twisting in his neck as the pain hissed at him, as he watched the fire snake after the 'Con. Energon was highly flammable and burned long and easily. And now, the fire reached the 'Con, and disappeared through the hole of his leg.

And Devastator definitely enjoyed the sheer burst of agony from the now-screaming drone as the fire ravaged through his pipes, the drone too damaged to shut off his pipes and block the fire.

He was being burnt alive from the inside-out.

The combiner let the drone suffer for a few minutes, watching the fool scream in agony, munching on the second corpse like one munches on popcorn during a movie, before finally growing bored of the screams and moving in for the _coup de grace._

The drone was killed by the claw that impaled the back of his head, and he too was devoured.

Devastator rumbled in approval as his grinders sliced up the drone. His insides were nicely seared, just the way Devastator liked it...

Ah, their pain was wonderful.

Optimus and Ironhide idly watched the combiner cannibalise the little drones from a distance, the Topkick guarded, the Peterbilt stoic.

"He's savage. He knows how to hurt." Ironhide observed, a hint of disgust in his tone, black form barely visible in the night, though his optics shone bright, and his cannons gleamed with power.

"Indeed." Optimus replied coolly, never once allowing emotion to cross his face or tone. "Shall we return to Diego Garcia and inform them the threat here is removed, thanks to Devastator?"

"I would say so, yes. For his first 'Con hunt, he did well." The weapons specialist replied, glancing at the lifeless head of the Decepticon that had been popped like a little balloon, and the two vehicles stalked off, followed by the satisfied combiner.

Ah, the Prime knew how to treat his servant well.

**Author's Notes: When you've had an annoying day at school, it's nice to let it out in a brutal chapter of pain and death. Good therapy XD**

**So, Devastator finally hunts some Decepticons. And boy, did they get it 0_0**

**Feel free to be disgusted, amused or whatever, but know that Devastator, as mentioned a few times, is not a nice happy chap. If any of you think of doing some more spin-offs of this story, remember that. But he can lighten up sometimes, at least XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: Hurrah, an update at last XD**

**Been busy with Volt Switch, but now is time for Combination: Blue to return! :D**

**So now, be prepared to snigger as Devastator discovers something disturbing :P**

_Strange; definition: unusual, extraordinary, curious, odd, queer: A strange remark to make._

Devastator knew what the definition of strange was. Many beings knew what strange was. Of course, opinion varied on what strange was personified as, but the idea was the same. The combiner knew what strange was, certainly.

Strange was the gibberish child-words that the young Annabelle youngling spouted out constantly. Strange was Bumblebee performing the infamous Caramelldansen (A song upon the Internet), very well, I might add. Strange was most of humanity's quirks. Strange was how Breakaway could imitate the human function of farting (The release of gas from the anus, often considered rude/funny) with his jet mode's thruster.

Oh yes, Devastator knew what strange was. He'd seen it plenty of times as well.

But this?

Oh, this took the metaphorical cake (A delicious pastry that humans enjoyed)

Now, Optimus Prime, his Master, had his own office, within a bunker near the main structure of Diego Garcia. A private getaway, to think, plan out strategies, perform work, or simply spend time alone. The bunker had recently been outfitted with a kind of window, so Devastator could peek in and see his Master if he wished. And currently, the titan was stomping along, to personally question his Master if there was another landfill site that he could devour.

So, the combiner opened up the hatch, and his green optics promptly saw what was inside.

And strange just got redefined.

Optimus Prime was sitting on a massive mound of metal that imitated the function of a chair, red and blue colouring gleaming in the light, and his azure optics fixed on a round thing in his hand, not to mention that the Prime appeared to be speaking to it. Most disturbing, scans from the combiner revealed this as th severed head of a Decepticon named Bonecrusher, a savage and hateful warrior whom had been destroyed by the Prime via decapitation (The act of removing a foes head)

Odd.

"Yes, yes, Bonecrusher, I am aware that you desire company." Optimus stated calmly to the head, as though he were being patient towards the questioning of an annoyed child, the tan object featuring a broken jaw and an optic dangling on a cord of neural connectors, the other optic glinting red slightly. "I worked hard to procure Demolishor, Grindor and the Fallen for your sake. I believe the Fallen was actually my greatest accomplishment; imagine me gaining the face of a fallen Prime for my collection!"

The Prime gestured to the wall, and Devastator felt his spark seize slightly at the shape of the Fallen's face, the face of his previous Master, torn and flat, hanging on the wall, next to half a head (Grindor's, evidently torn by hooks) and a larger head, with a thick hole through one optic (Demolishor's, evidently blasted)

Disturbing.

"Oh no, not to say I don't appreciate you, Bonecrusher." Prime stated quickly, defending an invisible accusation from the Decepticon's head. "You came out wonderfully well. A whole head, quite undamaged! But the Fallen did slay his brother's, so I feel great satisfaction to see him hang here."

Optimus paused slightly, and the watching combiner wondered if he had been noticed, but no, the truck then said: "Yes, I know, Bonecrusher. You wish for an Autobot to join you and the others. Patience. I shall find one soon enough, as I can't exactly kill my own soldiers. I must say, I was ever so slightly disappointed by Jazz's revival. I would have enjoyed having his face for my collection. But he is a good friend, so him being alive is nice."

The Prime paused again, thoughtful as he 'listened' to Bonecrusher, before speaking: "Oh, yes, Barricade, the neutral. I certainly considered adding his face to my collection. But my daughter wished for him to live, so he shall."

Bonecrusher 'spoke' again, and Prime looked surprised as he replied: "Oh no, Bonecrusher. I would never consider adding Tatyana's face to my collection! Besides, even if I did, the organic components would rot and ruin the effect-"

He paused, as though the severed head had interrupted him.

Okay, Devastator was quite disturbed by now. His Master had considered adding the Apprentice's face to this... collection of his?

How odd.

"Ah, Bonecrusher, I understand." The Master stated soothingly. "With only those three faces, you're bound to be a bit bored of them. Rest assured, I shall procure more faces, and we shall not be so lonely. My hooks have been begging me as well, actually. I do hope Megatron sends more Decepticons soon."

The truck stared at the Decepticon's head, before chuckling and gently placing Bonecrusher's head on a shelf behind him, then stating: "Be patient, Bonecrusher. We shall have more friends soon enough. Rest for now, and perhaps we can discuss the finer points of training Pokemon later. I know how much you like that!"

With a hearty chuckle, Optimus finally looked up at Devastator, the titan looking as though he'd never sleep again without a nightmare.

"Ah, Devastator. Did you require something?"

_"No, Master. Nothing at all."_

And with that, Devastator slunk off, intending to see Tatyana and Sam Witwicky in the hopes that they would possess some of this 'brain-bleach' that had the power to erase things via a painful mind burn. It had been quite strange today, to say the least.

Not to mention, he could have sworn that the head of Bonecrusher had smiled, ever so slightly...

**Author's Notes: Optimus scares me, actually. He really does. **

**I apologise to anyone who may have been freaked out by this, but we all know what Optimus is like :D**

**Tai, promise me you'll keep an eye on your father 0_0**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes: Exactly as I predicted, everyone was pretty much creeped out by the previous chapter :D**

**And one viewer even asked me: "Why on Earth did you write that?"**

**I shall answer; for the sole purpose of me, Soundwave 0107, sniggering at all of the viewer's reactions. I enjoy it when you all react exactly how I wanted you to.**

**And yes, Optimus needs a shrink. But you must admit, it gives him a nice psychological advantage over his enemies, knowing that if they fight him, they might end up being his new buddy 0_0**

**Well, today, marginally less creepy, Devastator shall once again confront an annoying jerk...**

What a bother.

The sun was blazing overhead, its golden rays singing across the land, setting the island of Diego Garcia alight in a blaze of visible glory, the sparkling blue ocean humming as aquatic mammals designated as dolphins leapt out of the water, the clear blue sky occasionally betraying the sight of a passing plane, and the palm trees swayed in a light breeze.

Devastator was currently resting on the sandy shores, massive head atop thick arms, his titanic body pressing down on the light substance that formed the beautiful beach. There had been no reports of Decepticon activity for a whole month, and the combiner was tense. Usually, when things were quiet, it meant the enemy was reloading their weapons for another attack. But the combiner was prepared; all of his custom-made turrets were on stand-by, ready to fire at a nanosecond's urging. And best of all, the shield generator around the base had finally been completed, and everyone had watched with awe as a light-blue shield, almost invisible in the light, had formed around the base and proved itself immune even to Devastator's mighty weapons.

Of course, powering all the turrets and the shield ate at Devastator's energy supply, so he was forced to rest more often to keep his power levels high. Thankfully, such a sunny place like Diego Garcia meant plenty of solar energy for the titan, not to mention the Prime would often ship him off to the mainland to consume landfill sites and other waste disposal units for the humans, keeping him at optimal strength.

The Master was kind indeed.

So, with the island fully defended thanks to Devastator, he could afford to relax somewhat. But that wasn't what was bothering him.

No, what was bothering him was a certain bio-signature containing a most annoying set of DNA within the comfort of a large helicopter that was approaching the island. Devastator could recognise that genetic signal anywhere;

The annoying-jerk-Galloway...

The helicopter passed by him, and the combiner was sure to tilt his head and glare at the vehicle, unfolded a large cannon on his hip to aim threateningly at the vehicle. The chopper took the hint and sped off, leaving Devastator to rumble in satisfaction. He certainly enjoyed inspiring fear in disobedient fools.

But alas, the Prime would probably require his presence in dealing with the annoying-jerk, so the combiner reluctantly stood up from his sunbathing spot, his limbs shuddering in agony as they always did, and moved off, grumbling all the while.

He hated that Galloway fleshy; he was rude, obnoxious, far too confident for a man of his pitiful muscle structure and was only in a position of power because it was inherited from a far more capable parent. Humans were so stupid; authorities should be chosen for their skill and loyalty, not heritage. Certainly, Devastator obeyed the Primes, but a foolish and incompetent Prime was worthless to their grand cause. He didn't always obey Tatyana Witwicky; though she did display competence, potential and skill, she was just far too young and silly to be fully obeyed. Perhaps as she got older and more mature could Devastator really acknowledge her as a good Master.

Regardless, Devastator noted the helicopter that had brought in the fool, parked nearby the Autobot's hangar, and according to his scans, Galloway was already on the scaffolding, tapping a foot impatiently for the meeting to start; according to run-throughs of previous audio recordings, the liaison was here to discuss the damages caused by the last Decepticon incursion, when a warrior designated Brawl, who had somehow survived the carnage of Mission City, wrecked havoc at a town near the Hoover Dam. Despite the best efforts of Ironhide and Ratchet, the 'Con had escaped into the desert, leaving behind a hefty trail of destruction.

And bills, as the humans would say.

The combiner noted the red-and-blue form of the Peterbilt truck drive into the hangar and transform into his regal robot mode, azure optics staring at the annoyed-annoying human with patience, yet a hidden well of annoyance.

Devastator moved to the entrance of the hangar, too large to enter, but enough for people to notice him. His presence alone should hopefully make the stupid fleshy somewhat more reserved, and it worked; Galloway adjusted his tie nervously and patted his, ah, toupee, before speaking.

Primes above, his very voice made Devastator tired, as weedy as it was, and the combiner failed to pay attention to what the idiot was saying. Most likely the same thing he always said: "WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE..."

Nevertheless, the massive Cybertronian kept his optics on the scene, as Prime and Galloway spoke to each other, Lennox standing next to the other human with a distasteful expression on his face, while Ratchet and Jolt spoke quietly in the background, and the little humans all around him worked on computers, discussing stuff with each other and what not.

However, he finally gave Galloway attention when his own name popped up:

"-And once again, I have to say, the US government is _concerned-" _The human stressed the word, before continuing: "That, ah, Devastator, is not as trustworthy as you say he is. We've seen reports that he actually attacked an Autobot, the Camaro, and civilians as well, and I don't even want to start on the damage he's caused on the two times you sent him out to hunt Decepticons."

The combiner rumbled with frustration; if Galloway would rather have Decepticons swarm over his planet, then have them removed with some mere property damage, then the combiner might just as well eat the stupid human right now. Of course, 'eat' was the nice way of saying it; ripping him up in a series of grinders was more accurate.

"Devastator has been ruled by the Fallen, the corrupt Prime, for millennia. His penchant for violence is noted, but he has grown far more restrained in his time here-" Optimus replied coolly, but the fool interrupted:

"Restrained? Is that what you call the big lug ripping up three houses trying to get at a 'Con who'd already hightailed it away? Odd definition for the word if you ask me." Galloway retorted.

This pitiful idiot was annoying Devastator even more so then usual. The combiner wished to the Allspark above that the Prime would relent and allow him to consume this fool. Honestly, the human would only be good for target practice or his next meal...

But wait! Idea!

The combiner smirked (Well, if he were able to. His jaws weren't designed for expression, really), before subtlety detaching the bulldozer component that formed his left hand. The appendage reformed to vehicle mode, and idly drove away from the combiner, stealthily moving past the arguing Prime and human, until it was near Ratchet and Jolt, the two medically-inclined mechs casting it a curious glance as the yellow vehicle turned around until the scoop faced the scaffolding structure, and a small camera-like device protruded from the top of the vehicle, aiming itself at the foolish Galloway.

_"May I ask what you are doing, Devastator?" _The truck asked promptly through their link, having noticed the component, yet keeping his attention on Galloway, whom was all but ranting now.

_'Permission to humiliate the fool Galloway, Master?' _The combiner asked, being sure to add a touch of pleading to his deep tone. He really, really wanted to humiliate the damned human. It was one of the few things that made Diego Garcia that much more fun.

The answer came instantly: _"Permission granted."_

Again, Devastator smirked (If he were able to) and the component whirred as its odd device projected a beam- Which filled out in an incredibly realistic hologram of a particularly evil-looking Megatron.

The combiner was certainly aware on how to mimic the angered and cruel expression of the Apprentice of his previous Master, having seen the tank lose his temper many times; Megatron's rage was legendary, and now, the titan would put it to good use.

Other humans seemed shocked by the sudden appearance of a life-sized Megatron, but their powers of deduction were enough to see the bulldozers projector and put two and two together, while Ratchet and Jolt merely seemed amused. Lennox himself raised an eyebrow at the combiner's latest antic, before figuring it out, grinning, and he tapped Galloway on the shoulder to earn his attention, then pointed behind him.

The fool turned, and was greeted by a face-to-face confrontation with a truly savage looking metal monster, baring silver fangs and flexing massive claws, cold evil in the blood-red optics as the monster sneered, voice deep and ragged and imbued with malice: "Boo."

Galloway promptly let out the loudest, most audio-piercing scream Devastator had ever heard in his long, long life and leapt behind Lennox, crying out for protection and what-not.

Devastator rumbled in humour, as everyone else stared at the panicking man with surprise or dull contemplation, before bursting into raucous laughter; even Prime and Ratchet laughed heartily at the practical joke, as the bulldozer withdrew the holographic projector, Megatron vanishing in a blur of light. Jolt was literally on the floor, clutching his sides in mimicry of extreme humour as he laughed, and Epps, howling with laughter, promptly patted Galloway in the back and pointed out the absence of danger.

Needless to say, Galloway was not impressed, and now protesting against the soldiers claiming his scream was very girly. In short, he was pissed, but no-one cared.

Amidst the laughter, Optimus contacted the colossus: _"Excellent strategy, Devastator. I must admit, that was incredibly funny."_

_'Of course, Master.' _Devastator chortled. _'I live to serve.'_

And what fun it was.

**Author's Notes: Alas, poor Galloway. I knew him, Sideswipe. That was the man whom has earned much hatred within such little time. Cry havoc and let slip the Devastator of humiliation!**

**Well, Galloway is gonna go home and stew in yet another misery brought on by the combiner. Poor chap. Not XD**

**See you soon, everyone! Be sure to keep your faces on your head!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Notes: Ah, it's been a while, but at last, Combination: Blue returns!**

**Today, Devastator and Bumblebee discover happiness XD**

It was an accident, but that still didn't change the fact that it had happened.

Devastator had been on patrol, as per usual, massive form stalking the glorious island known as Diego Garcia, sun raining down upon the land as titanic limbs crossed it, green optics always alert for any sign of trouble, when it happened.

Bumblebee, the young Autobot scout, had been engaging in a friendly race with Sideswipe, the Triplets and Jolt, and their activity had brought them near Devastator, whom had heard the vehicles coming and had moved to step aside. However, Bumblebee had misinterpreted where Devastator was moving to, and attempted to drive around him, when in fact, that had been the direction the giant moved towards. And thus, the unlucky Autobot came right under the lowering foot of the combiner.

Devastator heard the crunch and the mechanical screech of pain, and had felt crumpling metal under his foot, and thus, despite his shock, he had swiftly moved his foot away, but the damage had been done; the sheer weight of the combiner's appendage had all but crushed the rear half of the Autobot's vehicle mode. Jolt had been able to stabilise the crushed rear of the panicking scout, thankfully, but the damage had been done. With his rear section crushed, Bumblebee was not only rendered immobile, but unable to transform, and repairs were coming slow due to the lack of supplies on the island, as they had been used up on previous repairs after an assault from the Decepticons.

The fact remained, the combiner was now plagued by a horrible feeling he had never felt before in his life.

Guilt.

This horrible feeling tore at his insides, adding to the agonising pain of combination, and it forced him to replay the horrible sounds of the innocent youngster's injuries, crushed underfoot, again and again, preventing the combiner from recharging soundly, like a terrible virus.

It hurt Devastator, and he wanted it to leave him be, but he knew he deserved it for his terrible mistake. Incredible that Bumblebee had survived; if he had moved slower, his front, containing the precious spark, would have been crushed instead, and the Autobot would have died. And incredible that Devastator actually regretted an action of inflicting pain on another being. Causing pain eased his own suffering; he revelled in it. But accidentally harming a comrade... It only tormented him.

The scout saved his life, and _this _was how he repaid him?...

Worse still was how the other Autobots and the humans reacted. While the Prime, thank the Allspark, understood that it had been an accident, and Jolt, Sideswipe and the Triplets also vouched for Devastator, knowing he had not meant it, the other Autobots, particularly Ironhide, seemed to be openly hostile to the combiner, perhaps under the belief that old Decepticon programming was resurfacing, and the combiner had deliberately tricked the Camaro into going underfoot. Even young Tatyana Witwicky seemed to be against him, appalled by the horrible damage Bumblebee sustained and now only sparing the colossus the honour of a cold glare and keeping the sparklings away from him.

The humans themselves were less pleased, especially the Prime-saver, Sam Witwicky, and showed only coldness and distrust for him, but Devastator didn't really care. Humans always wanted something to blame, and he could tolerate their primitive idiocy. But still, the fact that he had damaged the young scout ate at him, and the hostility from his comrades only deepened the cut.

Frustration was building up in the combiner, and he wanted nothing more then to find something and hurt it, torture it, kill it. But his Master had forbidden it, and only the Prime's word kept Devastator from snatching up the next thing that shot him a dirty look and ripping it limb from limb.

And still, he was guilty. Hence today, split into his vehicle forms, his excavator mode rumbled towards a small hangar, where Bumblebee was currently resting, while the rest of his components patrolled the island. Removing all conscious from those other modes and granting them only basic detection scanners, he cast all of his attention from his largest piece, and the massive vehicle trundled along towards the hangar. His massive arm hung low as he reached the entrance, and he was greeted by a friendly flash of headlights from Bumblebee.

Staying outside, as Ratchet would never permit him entry, Devastator scanned the Autobot, the plague of guilt biting harder as he took in the damage; the boot of the sports car was nearly flat, crumpled and ruined, the tires squashed and bulging out the sides, loose wires hanging from cracks in the gleaming yellow armour and the rear windscreen all but smashed apart. Thick cables, connected to a large generator, fed the scout precious power to his repair systems, and though the process was slow, the excavator watched as a tiny piece of yellow metal, barely a nanometre across, folded back into place.

The scout was on the road to the recovery, but Devastator still felt that terrible guilt. How was he ever going to make it up to the Autobot? Bumblebee had always been quite close to him since his arrival here (Not including that disastrous attempt to attack the Autobot) and now, he was stuck in this grisly hangar because of him...

He heaved a low rumble, wondering how best to communicate his many apologies to the patient car, when the sound of engines cut through the quiet air, and Devastator's scanners promptly zeroed in on the sound; three motorbikes were approaching, clearly the Triplets coming to visit their injured friend.

The bikes swerved with perfect synchronisation into the hangar, and the blue and purple forms of Chromia and Flareup rose into robot mode, and sidled over to Arcee. Devastator noticed now that the red bike was bearing several things on her back, ranging from buckets to sponges. Confirmation scans proved this, as well as revealing the presence of water within a metal container. The Internet informed the excavator that these items were used in cleaning vehicles, such as cars.

Arcee transformed when the last bucket was removed from her seat, and stated cheerfully to the curious Camaro and silent construction vehicle: "Morning, boys! We figured young Bumblebee here could use a little clean-up, so, bam, here we are!"

Chromia rolled her optics at the exuberant bike's display, as Flareup merely giggled. Bumblebee was chirping happily like a song-bird as Devastator watched the femmes open the container and pour water into the three assembled buckets, drips of the stuff falling onto the floor occasionally, before adding some of that soapy stuff. Devastator figured that the ever-loving femmes (Except maybe Chromia, whose loyalty was generally attached only to her sister's and Optimus) had felt sorry for Bumblebee, and this was a way to cheer him up.

Judging by the rocking of the front tires and the cheerful squeaks and flashes of headlights, Bumblebee certainly seemed happy.

The excavator let out a low rumble as Chromia's cannon charged up, heat emanating from the weapon to, well, heat up the water, as the other two motorcycles gently unplugged Bumblebee from the generator; his condition was stable enough to last without it for a while, and this way, water wouldn't get on the machinery.

Satisfied as the water steamed nicely, Chromia picked up a sponge with her hand, joined by her sisters, and as three, the bikes grinned at the Camaro and got to work.

At this moment, a roaming Barricade sidled up next to Devastator, stating: "Hey. What's going on?"

The flick of the massive arm towards the hangar was his answer, and the Shelby shifted forward to have a better look.

The sight that greeted him was the yellow car letting out low purrs of his engine as the three femmes gently caressed the vehicle with the soaking sponges, soapy water dribbling down the sides as the cleaning tools slid over the crumpled boot, the sleek front and the tilted top. The femmes seemed to be enjoying the reactions of the hot water's recipient, Flareup giggling near-constantly as her purple frame darted around the sides of the car, sponge wiping down at the tires and the more sensitive machinery within. Arcee and Chromia were idly chatting to the car, speaking of new Autobot arrivals coming soon and the latest prank Jolt managed to pull on Ironhide. Bumblebee was clearly having a great time, squeaking contently as the soft, warm sponges got into the seams of his armour, as if they were massaging his sensors...

Of course, seeing his once-rival in such a great position, being affectionately washed down by three femmes, hit Barricade hard, and he let out a low growl of envy. How come the childish scout got such a sensual wash and not him? It was so unfair that he sputtered exhaust and revved his tires, like a youngling having a tantrum.

Devastator detected the jealous acts of the car next to him, and rumbled threateningly, his arm shifting to tap the car's side in a clear gesture. Grumbling and whining, the black vehicle quickly shot off, lest he annoy the combiner further, cursing the whole way.

With that done, the excavator returned his attention to the scout, idly wondering on how he himself could help out the scout. Certainly, his current activity in being washed was a joy, thanks to the efforts of the Triplets, but he wanted to do something himself to make the scout's condition less arduous. Perhaps he could offer the young scout the use of his crane component when he recovered to use as a swing. Or perhaps-

Arcee was laughing now, echoed by Flareup, as Bumblebee promptly began playing all kinds of joyful songs from his radio, and the noise distracted the combiner from his musings. He watched as Chromia, a subtle smirk on her face, seized one of the buckets and sloshed the water within all over the scout, whom let out a mechanical squeal of surprise, before resuming his songs, and Flareup, since some of that water had gotten her as well, retaliated by flinging a sponge at Chromia, striking the blue femme right in the face, earning much laughter from the third bike.

No doubt, Bumblebee was happy. The femmes were happy.

Devastator watched the scout for a second, before rumbling softly and moving off. There was no use staying here, not doing anything useful-

Message from Bumblebee. Open?

Yes.

_Hey, Devastator!_

_Don't feel so down, alright? Sure, I got squashed, but it's not really your fault, okay? You're alright. Besides, this is the best wash ever! And I definitely owe you for it! _

_Just don't be hard on yourself, pal; we all make mistakes._

_I definitely, 100% forgive you, cross my spark and hope to offline._

_Bumblebee :)_

The combiner read the message. And again. Then a third time.

He was quite honestly stunned. Certainly, the scout had stated forgiveness before, but the combiner had somewhat doubted it. Yet, still, the Camaro remained positive, forgave him again, even thanked him for it.

Odd.

The excavator hesitated, sweeping his scanners round to look at the three Autobots and the fun they were having.

Despite what logic may dictate, Devastator suddenly felt somewhat more... relaxed. Bumblebee did forgive him. They were still friends, so to speak. The combiner knew he still had to make it up to the Camaro, but for now... let him bathe.

With another rumble, feeling better now, knowing the scout still liked him, the vehicle set off.

The Prime always said forgiveness was divine and friendship was crucial.

The Prime's word was law.

**Author's Notes: Aw, Devastator. We all screw up, sure, but when we got friends by our side, it gets better :3**

**Bumblebee has fun, the Triplets are generous and Barricade is jealous. Sucks to be him XD**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Notes: At long last, an update XD**

**Continuation from the previous chapter, only now featuring a certain police car (Courtesy of Tatyana's ideas). Now, let's see what happens :P**

At last, Bumblebee had made a full recovery, and was now bouncing around the island like an over-excited sparkling. He had good reason to, of course; his legs were back to operational standards, his transformation was as flawless as before the accident and, well, he was happy. Ratchet had worked his magic, and Devastator was pleased.

The beautiful island of Diego Garcia was most certainly a happier place now that it's most joyful resident was back on his feet, and that terrible guilt, the one which plagued Devastator during the scout's time in repair-bay, had receded to a mere memory. Bumblebee had forgiven the combiner, and he was happy with that.

The Prime was happy as well, and that made Devastator even more happy.

Currently, the Camaro was using the combiner's crane-arm's hook as a swing again, swirling from side to side, chirping eagerly as the combiner's green optics tracked his every movement, his whole body aching with the usual pain, but his mind was elated to see the scout's forgiveness. Perhaps his Master was right; perhaps the concept of free will was one to be desired. At least in others, of course. Devastator was perfectly happy serving the great Prime.

The Prime was everything.

However, from the shadows of a tree nearby, red optics gleamed.

Barricade watched the yellow mech swinging around on the titan with an expression torn between casual-stand-around-ness-whatever and distaste. Oh no, not that he didn't find anything wrong with his ex-rival getting repaired. The Scout was his buddy now, after all (Even though Ironhide was keen to remind everyone how lemon-stripes kicked the cop's ass once). No, what caused the distaste part of his expression was down to one thing:

Jealousy

Bumblebee, little silly Bumblebee, who'd sooner pet a human then do anything productive, got washed, WASHED, by three undeniably attractive femmes. Damn straight Barricade was jealous! Any sane mech Cybertronian would want three hot femmes washing them (Even that no-good prick, Soundwave, and especially that no-good prick, Starscream). Simple as.

And yet, Barricade, despite being a roguishly good-looking cruiser that exuded coolness, had no such washes from the Triplets. Slag.

But... there was a solution. Bumblebee got his wash after Devastator had nearly crushed him, right? The femmes washed him to cheer him up, right? Of course, to an ex-Decepticon that thrived on masculine chaos and scrap like that, that meant only one thing, and Barricade grimaced slightly at the thought. If he wanted bath-time from hot femmes, he needed to make a sacrifice.

He needed Devastator to Allspark-freaking crush him. And survive it, of course. And then, the femmes would wash him to cheer him up! Yes! The plan was fool-proof, painful, wet and above all, fool-proof.

Nothing could possibly go wrong!

"Hey, Barri'." Breakaway stated. "Mind if I see how far you fly if I kicked you right now?"

Distracted from his musing, Barricade grunted: "Sure, whatever... wait, what- ARGH!"

**Later that day, hooray**

"Breakaway sucks so much." The ex-'Con muttered, stalking around in a circle in his usual skulking manner, flexing his claws, occasionally wincing as he rubbed his dented behind. "I hope he dies somehow. He probably will, 'cause he sucks."

It was immature to walk in circles talking about how people sucked, but Barricade didn't care. He was waiting on the patrol border for Devastator to show up. Any minute, the combiner would be stomping over here, and the car would convince him to help a mech out. Simple. Sure, the combiner only obeyed Optimus (Lucky truck), but even he would fall prey to simple logic. Kind of like Shockwave, only bigger and less freaky.

Sure enough, the tell-tale rumbling came along, and Barricade grinned as Devastator came stomping along, massive head sweeping round in search of any threats. Truly, he was a magnificent guard, ever vigilant, rarely sleeping, weapons ready, presence intimidating. Perhaps the greatest Cybertronian of all time.

And now, the greatest convenience for a lady's mech of all time!

The titanic Cybertronian moved onwards, scanners picking up the form of Barricade, standing nearby. Taking care to avoid the smaller Cybertronian, Devastator nodded to him in acknowledgement, before-

"Devastator, I need your help!"

He hesitated as Barricade spoke to him, before turning his massive head to the smaller Cybertronian and letting out an enquiring rumble. Help? Whatever with?

The ex-'Con quickly enlightened Devastator; "Listen, I need you to do me a massive favour. I need you to utterly and totally crush my legs, alright? Okay, not utterly, so they can be repaired, but still, crush them."

Devastator tilted his head and stared at Barricade, whom stared right back, red to green.

The two stared at each other for a while.

Crush his legs? Was Barricade defective, glitching perhaps? Why, by the Allspark, would he wish for the combiner to damage him like he had accidentally damaged the scout? It made absolutely no sense to him. Honestly, it didn't. Barricade wanted to have his legs crushed? For no apparent reason? Idiocy.

The combiner shook his head and decided to ignore such foolishness, preparing to walk off, but the car was persistent.

"C'mon, Devastator, you overgrown Hoover! Help a 'bot out!" Barricade snapped, darting forward to block the combiner's path, glaring menacingly at him. "This is a matter of Cybertronian honour and pseudo-masculine pride! If you don't help me, you'll officially be an asshole!"

Devastator narrowed his optics, but shook his head. How foolish of the mech. With a uncaring sweep of his arm, Devastator pushed the smaller mech out of his way with a snort of distaste. He could never understand those silly little ones with their silly little motives. Honestly, the only thing that mattered was serving the Prime, and that was that.

Barricade narrowed his optics as he got back to his feet, recovering quickly from the combiner's shove. So, Devastator wanted to do this the hard way, did he? Well then, Barricade as going to have fight fire with fire, suicidal as that may be.

"Fine, be that way, Devastator!" He snapped, being sure to flip his middle finger after the titan. "Maybe that's why Prime always keeps you here instead of helping him do useful stuff!"

The combiner froze in his tracks. That was a good (bad) sign. Barricade kept on:

"Yeah, you heard me. Prime doesn't need a reckless brutish suck-up; he's already got Ironhide for that. You're just a big lump of collateral damage! How can Prime get decent relations with the human governments if you keep spoiling it? He can't! He's needs a precise warrior, not an overgrown tank! You're probably not even that good a soldier to him!"

Devastator slowly turned round and heaved a growl.

No-one._ Ever._ Accused him, DEVASTATOR, of being useless to the Prime. The Prime was everything. This runt was nothing! He wanted crushed legs?

Fine.

Barricade grinned smugly as he went on, noting the combiner's anger brimming in the green optics: "Feels bad, doesn't it? You can't even help a guy out, let alone restrain yourself from- Wait, what are you doing? Okay, you've pinned me, that's cool, I guess I ask- Wait, a palm tree? No, hang on, please, be reasonable! Wait, plea- ARGH!"

_Three days later_

"Three days have passed, and yet, I wonder, how the heck did a simple palm tree do this much damage?" Ratchet asked, sealing a large gash on the ex-'Con's mangled legs, the cruiser hooked up to a generator in the same hangar Bumblebee had previously been in. "Your armour is reinforced, yet-"

"It was a big tree, alright?" Barricade snapped, sulking as usual, wincing as the good doctor worked on his injuries. Tai coming in to snigger at him every day was just as sulk-worthy. "Really big. Fell on me. Hurt lots. That good enough for you?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Whatever. Though, I have to ask, why did you immediately request the Triplets wash you?"

"I thought it would make me feel better. The patient is always right!"

"No, they're not. In any case, I think I've done enough work for today. And you are getting all dusty and slag. I'll see if the femmes are available."

With that, the Hummer moved off, and Barricade smugly folded his arms behind his head and sighed contently. At last, his plan was paying off! Soon, the femmes, lured in by his charms and pitiful condition, would enter, with their buckets of hot soapy water, and wash him till he sparkled like a disco ball, bringing all the joyous wonders with it. Magnificent!

The hangar door opened, and Barricade was surprised to see Ironhide step in, lugging a large container and a hose-like thing behind him.

"Greetings, Barricade." Ironhide stated politely, setting the container down, causing the contents within to shudder.

"Hey, Ironhide. Tell me, did you see Ratchet pass by to get-"

"-The femmes?" The truck interrupted, shooting the ex-'Con a glance as he plugged the hose into the container. "Oh, they won't be here for a bit. It's just you and me..."

Barricade was getting uncomfortable. He didn't like that soft menace in the GMC's voice. "Um, okay..."

"I hear you need a wash." Ironhide stated coolly, picking up the other end of the hose, revealing a kind of cannon at the end, which he attached to his right arm. "So, I got this lovely supply of water, and placed within a hyper-boil engine, designed and built by me, capable of heating water to scalding temperatures within seconds. And THIS-" The mech shook the hose-cannon. "-Is a type-2 high-pressure water cannon, designed and built by me. Capable of taking water via the suction unit at the other end, and then expelling water in a concentrated stream at a rate of 200 gallons every five seconds. In short, it is perfect for obliterating dust in a matter of seconds. And it hurts a lot."

Barricade's optics widened in horror; "Wha, but-but-but, that makes no sense! No hose can do that!"

"No hose except **Ironhide's** hose!" Ironhide sneered, with a cruel look on his face worthy of Megatron. "Now then, Barricade... you wanted a wash? You got it."

Ironhide promptly powered up his now-diabolical tool and growled: "One last thing... I'm a suck-up, am I?"

"No, that was Devastator, not me, I mean, c'mon, seriously, don't do this, Ironhide, I'm begging you, I mean, I only wanted the femmes to wash- Wait, please, NO! MERCY- AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

As the sound of pressurised water cascaded onto the screaming ex-'Con as Ironhide laughed maniacally, Devastator and Tatyana Witwicky were listening from outside the hangar, the girl bursting into laughter at the sound of Barricade's karmic justice, the combiner himself rumbling with sadistic humour.

"Oh my God!" Tai guffawed, clutching her sides as a particularly loud: "ARGH, my face!" hit her ears. "That idiot! Did he really think he could trick us like that?"

_"He would have, in fairness, young Prime." _Devastator replied cheerfully. _"But of course, it pays NOT to mention your plans to me, especially after insulting me."_

Tai burst into yet more laughter as she rolled on the floor, and the titan grinned (Well, he would if he were able to)

Silly Barricade.

**Author's Notes: Short, but sweet XD**

**Never mess with Devastator :P**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Notes: AT LAST UPDATE YAY! :D**

**ENJOY!**

Diego Garcia was a beautiful place, certainly. A luscious island surrounded by sparkling blue oceans, dotted with palm trees, white sandy beaches and the ever-lasting flocks of seagulls. Indeed, it was a wonderful place to hold a military reserve consisting of humans and Autobots.

Devastator let out a low rumble as he dipped his aching head into the warm water. The salt consistency of the liquid hissed against his pained sensors, but the warmth and gentle lapping of the liquid was quite pleasant. Every day was pain, but every day brought a new way to restrain it. The combiner rumbled again as he shook his head slightly, sending large ripples across the surf, his scanners detecting small creatures fleeing from his movement. How interesting, the non-sentient organics of this world.

Of course, as usual, his peace was disturbed; specifically, Ratchet was calling him, most likely for another medical exam of some sort. With a small groan of annoyance, Devastator grudgingly abandoned the shore and headed towards the island, scanners constantly searching for anything that may be considered a threat.

The yellow mech was waiting near the main hangar, tapping his boot-like foot impatiently, an air of slightly annoyance around him. The combiner held his head high, despite the protest of his aching neck; he wasn't going to seem meagre if Ratchet was frustrated at something. However, there was a surprise.

While the sight of Jolt was always common around the Hummer, there was another mech as well; just as blue as the Volt, but differently built, a bit stockier with larger shoulders. His head seemed weird, too human-like, but there was friendliness to him. Curious, the combiner moved forwards at a slightly faster pace, eager to examine this new Autobot, somewhat annoyed at having not been informed of this before. Unsurprisingly, the blue mech backed away slightly, unused to the mighty war machine displaying such a docile attitude, but Ratchet was quick to intervene:

"Don't worry, Wheeljack. Devastator here is perfectly friendly. Optimus has him under control."

He rumbled slightly: Always with the accursed doubt in his loyalty to the great Prime. Thankfully, this Wheeljack recovered quickly and spoke, in a friendly, though nervous, tone: "Ah, of course. Good, good. Um, hi there, chap!"

The combiner lowered his head slightly in greeting, and Wheeljack, somewhat shyly, patted his chin, before quickly retreating behind Ratchet. Jolt merely smiled at that, before Ratchet stated: "Wheeljack, Devastator, is perhaps the greatest mind of the Autobots. He has invented many powerful and impressive devices over the years, including the machine that first brought Cybertron to a sun."

Devastator remembered that day; Cybertron, running low on energy, suddenly revitalised as a star appeared in the skies above, the Allspark having returned to them. So, that was this 'chaps' doing? Impressive.

He shifted his head in a respectful bow, which Wheeljack humbly accepted with a small grin and rubbing the back of his head. Jolt nudged him good-naturedly, which the inventor returned, as Ratchet went on: "Oh, and have you met Mirage, Devastator?"

The combiner tilted his head slightly, before suddenly tensing as something climbed onto his arm. Rumbling in alarm, his scanners promptly went into overdrive to detect whatever was on him- This Mirage, perhaps? - But he was shocked to discover nothing. Not nothing, he could definitely feel a pressure on his limb, moving up to his torso, but his other systems were registering nothing. No heat signatures, no radio waves, no electronic spectrum. Nothing.

The thing was agile, swiftly leaping across the titan's neck onto his head, earning a growl of annoyance, before cloaking systems deactivated and a sleek red Autobot appeared in front of Devastator's optics.

Jolting in alarm, Devastator hissed threateningly, and the red Autobot laughed in a heavy voice, before leaping off his face, landing neatly next to Wheeljack. His back held two doors, similar to Bumblebee, and sickle-like blades adorned his arms. Overall, he seemed confident, and for good reason.

Ratchet went on: "Mirage, Devastator, is our chief spy and espionage agent, and a mighty warrior. He is also Wheeljack and Sideswipe's battle partner."

With a respectful bow, Mirage stated: "Pleasure to meet you."

There seemed to be some kind of accent to his voice, but the combiner cared not. Immediately after giving a small nod in return, Devastator contacted his Master: _Master._

_Yes, Devastator?_

_Ratchet has introduced me to Autobots designated Wheeljack and Mirage. But the latter's cloaking abilities unnerve me. Requesting for Ratchet to upload all holographic and illusionary frequencies for my systems to decode and add to their detection network._

His Master sounded amused: _That would imply a lack of trust, Devastator._

There was no refusal, so he went on: _Great Prime, I think only of security. It would be convenient to have Mirage's cloaking technologies decoded for my scanners in case of Decepticon replication._

_Of course you do. You're right to be wary, Devastator. Very well, I will inform Ratchet later. In the meantime, why don't you get to know your two new friends?_

_I obey._

Abandoning the link, the combiner turned his attention back to the two new Autobots, scanning them intensely for his memory databanks and turret recognition systems. He was surprised that no-one had told him about these two before; according to NEST records, they had arrived on the ship that had included Autobots Sideswipe, Jolt and the Triplets, along with three others, whom had only a single mention: Wreckers.

Unsure of what the Wreckers were, Devastator focussed instead on these two. They seemed interesting, and their respective abilities were impressive. Devastator considered the possibilities of having Wheeljack install new weapon and defence systems; perhaps, when Ratchet delivered him the coding to Mirage's cloaking devices, he could replicate the technology and cloak himself! The Master would be pleased by such efficiency in defending Diego Garcia.

"He stares a lot." Mirage noted, folding his arms as green optics studied him closely.

"You get used to it." Jolt replied cheerfully. "He only wants the best for the island and the Autobots, so he's just getting to know you two."

"Understandable." Wheeljack stated fairly, keeping a cautious eye on the colossus nevertheless. "Hmm, I wonder; do you think I could show him my new invention?"

"What is it?" Jolt asked curiously, woefully unknowing of Mirage and Ratchet backing away. Wheeljack responded by whipping out a staff-like device.

"It's a psycho-kinetic levitator!" He said excitedly. "Optimus gave me the staff that the Fallen had used, and I reverse-engineered my own version! This device can levitate objects through a combination of magnetics, static electricity and-"

Whatever the third thing was, no-one found out, for when Wheeljack pressed a button on the staff, it promptly and violently exploded.

Devastator rumbled in pain as the sound and heat seared at his sensors, but he was otherwise unharmed. Ratchet and Mirage were laughing at a safe distance, and Jolt and Wheeljack, blackened by soot, were lying on the floor. One of the inventor's arm appeared to have fallen off, and a piece of metal was embedded in Jolt's face, earning a low: "Ow…."

"Oops…. Maybe I should have calibrated the power core to the probe first….." Wheeljack mumbled, dazed from the explosion.

Devastator blinked once, before allowing a chuckle as Mirage came off and helped up Wheeljack, laughing all the while.

Perhaps these two wouldn't be so bad after all.


	20. Chapter 20

The Prime returned safely, and Devastator felt relief ease into him. It had been most tormenting, to be unable to help this Master, to be so near, yet too far. The combiner hated that feeling, and resolved to be closer next time. The failure to be there, to destroy all who dared challenge him, hissed at his circuits, and he growled slightly at that.

Ironhide rumbled behind the Autobot's ancient leader, and Bumblebee parked nearby, releasing the human boy, Sam, the one who had restored the great Prime to life. Devastator rumbled slightly, leaning down slightly to welcome his Master and ensure his safety.

"_I am fine, Devastator." _He stated, not at all concerned with the failed attempt of Decepticon assassination. _"It is not me who needs counsel right now."_

He shifted into robot mode, tall and regal as ever. Devastator is again reminded of his time under the originals, how the Dynasty would stand proud above their servants, divine and united, noble and wise. The legacy of the Primes would always remain; Devastator was sure of that.

Ironhide stated something to the humans, wary and battle-ready. He admired the black cannon's ability to understand the severity of such an attack, to be ready for more. The cloak and the silver blade stood next to Bumblebee, who still remained in vehicle mode. Devastator wondered if the vehicle form was as relaxing to him as it was to the combiner. There was never pain when he was separate.

"_Devastator." _ The Master said, quietly, musing. "_I fear that the time has come to decide."_

Decide what? That was a confusing statement, admittedly. Whether or not Ratchet held more sarcastic wit than Mirage? He rumbled again, wondering what the Master meant.

"_Between me…. And Optimus."_

Oh. The combiner froze at that. It was an odd feeling, to choose. In his past, the seven had always thought and acted together, as if they were one mind in separate bodies, like him. They had never forced him to choose between them. He acted for all of them, never for one. Only when only one remained, the Fallen, did Devastator serve the single mind.

But now, there was a choice. Between Sentinel and Optimus: The master and his student. Instinct guided Devastator to the former, but experience guided him to the latter. He was unsure; how he wished to split his body into two, to appease both and not have to choose. He was a weapon, a servant, a symbiotic partner; not a thinker.

Sentinel spoke out loud now, responding to a statement from the boy. "Indeed I am. What you must realise, my Autobot brothers, is that we were never going to win the war."

Devastator's mind buzzed. What was the Prime saying? What did he mean? Optimus Prime had destroyed the Fallen, had reduced the old Apprentice to a wreck of his former glory. The Autobots were winning. Earth was winning. The Prime's legacy was winning.

"For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made-" Sentinel continued, sounding almost sad, resigned. "-With Megatron."

"_The Autobots have failed us, Devastator. Optimus Prime has misled you. The time has come, to honour Cybertron and our heritage."_

Devastator couldn't understand. Optimus Prime was wise and noble. He knew no wrongs. But Sentinel Prime was the superior, the mentor, the elder. If he wasn't right, who could be? Who could possibly know more about the future of the Cybertronian race, of Cybertron, then the great Prime?

To honour Cybertron, the planet destroyed by war. Was there a point in trying to preserve the dead and the past? Earth was the present. Optimus Prime was the present. Sentinel and Cybertron were the past. If Sentinel proposed an alliance with Megatron, the inferior to Optimus, than why should Devastator accept? If Sentinel allied with the weak, the desperate, then he was not worthy of the Primes.

But there was the Fallen. Against the odds, he destroyed the other six. He rained chaos and fire upon all who opposed him. He survived for millennia, waiting, waiting. Devastator had waited with him, waiting for the time when all would burn before him; all would bow before his Master, the one who allowed Devastator to indulge in the destruction that was bred into him from creation.

The Fallen may be gone, but his legacy, that power, would never truly die. And the need to destroy would never fade.

But still, Optimus was noble. Optimus protected those weaker than him, led his people with compassion and valour. Devastator could not turn against that. His time here had changed him. He was not a weapon anymore. He was treated, not as a monster, but… an equal, a person. Optimus taught him something; that true power is not from simple force or strength, but the ability to decide how to use it. Could he turn against the nobility of Optimus Prime and join Sentinel in this new ideal, to fight for the past, for what was?

He thought of all of this in the second it took for all others to react to Sentinel's words, as the fire-truck backed away towards the entrance of the base.

And finally, Devastator made his decision.

"_Devastator: Serve your purpose. Destroy this base. Eliminate our enemies. Kill them all."_

"_I obey."_

**Author's Notes: Well, well, plot twist. I'm surprised none of you, considering last chapter's intro of DOTM characters, ever pondered if this kind of situation may occur.**

**Regardless, here we are. Sentinel Prime has taken control of Devastator. Oh snap.**


End file.
